MVP
by AKABrattyVamp
Summary: "Baseball is 90% mental, and the other half is physical." -Yogi Berra
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

As I glanced up the wall of the glass-front industrial building in front me, I put my hand against my forehead to shield my eyes from the sun. On the seventh floor, I had a job interview that would begin in less than twenty minutes. Breathing deeply, I sat on a low stone wall and rested my leather satchel beside my feet, loosening the collar of my stiff, white shirt. The warm spring weather and my jumbled nerves were making me feel damp and sticky beneath the clothes I'd carefully chosen to make me look professional, mature, and confident: starched button-up shirt, grey pencil skirt, and responsibly low heels. Thankfully, I'd twisted my thick brown hair into a tight, sleek knot at the nape of my neck. At least that allowed the smallest amount of a breeze to cool my skin as I pulled at my collar.

When I heard a child's voice wail out loud, I quickly turned my attention to the area before me. I would've expected the sound to come from the setting of the classroom where I'd worked for the past two years, but in this place, with impeccably dressed business types rushing back and forth across the concrete walkway, the cry was oddly out of place. I squinted my eyes and looked through the crowd, trying to determine the source of the sound. It didn't take long for me to locate the boy. No more than six or seven years old, he stood near the door of the building, holding on to a red plastic cup, with a distressed-looking frown on his face.

"Oh, no! Mary! Thirteen!" the child cried out. Just a few feet away, a young woman with bright blue streaks dyed into her dark black hair darted in and out of the busy people who walked past her, squatting down and picking up colorful, bouncing rubber balls that rolled across the area. The two stood out in this white and black world like a pair of circus performers, yet no one but me seemed to even notice them.

"I'll get 'em, Jackie!" the woman promised. "Here. Put these in your cup. There's four."

"Thirteen!" the boy moaned.

I watched the spectacle with curiosity. Obviously, the boy had been carrying rubber balls in his cup, and they'd spilled to bounce and roll across the area in front of the building. The woman was trying her best to collect each and every one of them, but when one of the small rubber missiles bounced off the toe of my shoe and rolled toward the street, I knew that unless I acted quickly, they'd never be able complete the boy's collection. The ball had rolled over the curb and disappeared beneath a shiny black Sedan that was parked there. While it was nothing more than a twenty-five-cent toy that could be purchased in any turn-knob-style machine, it was obviously important to the child. He wiped tears from his face with the back of his hand while the woman continued her search for the missing toys.

"Here's ten, eleven, twelve…" the woman counted, dropping the balls she'd collected into his cup.

"Thirteen, Mary! Thirteen!"

With a sigh, I stood and walked over to the curb. Mindful not to ruin my stockings, I carefully lowered myself to my knees and stretched my body forward like a cat, pressing my cheek to the warm concrete while I peered under the vehicle. Just as I thought, the ball had rolled to rest just behind the back tire. It wouldn't be easy to reach. I pushed my arm out as far as I could and wiggled my fingers, smiling when I finally felt the rubber ball beneath my fingertips. I froze, however, when I heard someone clear their throat above me.

"Not that I mind the view," a decidedly masculine voice spoke. "But would you mind telling me what in the hell you're doing to my car?"

I closed my eyes and groaned, realizing that my bottom was pointed straight up at the owner of the vehicle that I was practically crawling beneath. Trying to muster up whatever dignity I could, I stood and straightened my clothing before turning to face the man who towered above me.

Oh, _damn_.

The man looked like he was straight out of the pages of a high-end magazine: tall, broad-shouldered, and wearing a suit that had to cost at least twice what I paid a month for in rent. He folded his arms across his wide chest and cocked his head as he looked at me, waiting for my response, but at the moment, I was struck speechless. His well-defined, full lips were pulled up in an attractive way that, I hoped, meant he was more amused than irritated, but I couldn't be sure, as his eyes were covered by dark sunglasses that kept his expression a mystery to me. He had an angular jawline and wavy, cinnamon-colored hair that was pushed away from a strong forehead. His outrageously handsome appearance was both intimidating and incredibly appealing, and I realized too late that I'd had been staring at him for far too long.

At a complete loss as to how to recover from my awkward gaping, I shrugged and offered the first explanation that came to mind.

"I was looking for number thirteen?" I smiled bashfully, feeling like an idiot for how silly I must've sounded.

If I hadn't been sure of his mood before, the quick frown and furrowed brow above the line of his designer sunglasses let me know that the man was _not_ satisfied by my simple explanation. Eager to remove myself from the uncomfortable situation as quickly as possible, I turned away from him and hurried to grab my bag. Without giving the man another glance, I walked quickly toward the front of the building. It wouldn't do for me to be late to my interview, and there was still the issue of the lost-and-found toy…

The fretful boy still stood by the door of the building, clutching his cup with both hands while the young woman knelt beside him, wiping at his wet cheeks with the hem of her faded concert t-shirt.

"Thirteen," I said, stopping in front of the boy. I held my palm toward him, showing the ball I'd retrieved. The boy didn't look at me, but the woman beside him did.

"Oh, my God! Thank you! You're a lifesaver!"

"No problem." I grinned and dropped the rubber ball into the top of the boy's cup. I didn't have another moment to spare, so I turned away from the two and walked into the cool interior of the building. I had no way of knowing how my interview would go, but at least today wouldn't be a total waste. I'd been able to help those two out. That alone felt oddly satisfying.

Once inside the large office building, I found a placard on the wall that directed me to Suite 714, the office of the temp agency where my interview would take place. Before heading for the bank of elevators, I walked into a bathroom to splash a little water on my cheeks and try to cool down before going up to the seventh floor. Straightening my hair in the mirror, I gave myself a mental pep talk. I could do this. I just needed to calm down and focus.

I'd never been through a formal interview process. Immediately after graduation, I was offered a teaching position at the school where I'd done my student teaching. For the past two years, I'd thrived in a classroom setting where I could legitimately see myself staying throughout the course of my career. It was a profession I was meant to be in; not just a job, but something I truly loved. When I received a notice just a few months ago that the Special Education Department was undergoing significant budget cuts and that I was being released, my careful plans for the future went into a tailspin.

Too late to apply to different school districts for the upcoming school year, I considered subbing, but inconsistent hours and not knowing when, or if, I'd be contacted to work on any given day didn't give me the stable income I needed. It was even worse now that I'd spent most of my savings in the last two years trying to pay back my student loan debt and was about to become homeless.

Yeah. I had a _lot_ riding on this interview, and I wasn't particularly sure my work experience would help me.

In desperation, I had a friend help me upload my resume and credentials online to the temp agency. I'd been surprised when they contacted me weeks later about an open position. It wasn't a teaching position, though. The job was listed under the title "Household Management," and by some miracle, my resume had been flagged to sort me into the group of considered applicants.

I didn't know a thing about the job. The salary I'd been quoted was nothing to sneeze at, and it came with free room and board. It would definitely be enough to get me through the summer. I could save to get my own apartment, and if I were careful with my budgeting, it might hold my bank account above a redline balance until I could find some other work in the fall. While I wasn't sure what "Household Manager" entailed, I knew it had to be a hell of a lot better than trying to wait tables at some pizza place on the Delmar Loop. I didn't merely _want_ this job; I _needed_ it!

When I finally stepped into the waiting room of the temp agency, I had to force myself not to groan. There were at least twenty other people sitting around, waiting to be interviewed. I had no way of knowing how many of them were vying for the same position. Women seemed to outnumber men by at least four to one, and every single one looked to be at least fifteen to twenty years my senior; somber and severe, business types, professional. I suddenly felt like a little girl playing dress-up in her mother's heels. Many of them looked me up and down before returning to their books, magazines, or conversations as though they'd summed me up immediately and didn't considered me to be a threat.

I pulled my chin up and took one of the remaining empty seats in the corner of the room. Two women sitting directly across from me paused in their conversation just long enough to look down their noses in my direction. One rolled her eyes slightly before turning her attention back to her companion. I didn't miss the fact that she sniggered a little under her breath. Yeah. I got it. I didn't fit in. Whatever. I pulled my portfolio from my bag and focused on reading through my own resume and references to prepare myself for the interview to come, trying not to let the obvious disapproval of the couple seated across from me damper my shaky self-esteem. The temp agency must've seen something in my credentials to flag me as an appropriate candidate for the job. I just needed to present myself maturely, confidently, and professionally.

I looked up at a pair of double doors that opened in the corner of the room and watched as a tall woman with a clipboard stepped through to call the name of the next applicant. A gentleman with silver hair at his temples and wore a navy suit confidently rose from his seat and disappeared down the hallway. Shuffling the papers in my hands, I closed my eyes and tried to find some sort of inner peace. I concentrated on breathing deeply to calm my nerves. One of the most important qualities of being in _any_ professional position is having the ability to stay calm and cool under pressure. It wouldn't do me a bit of good to step into that office looking like a frightened, nervous little Chihuahua.

For the next fifteen minutes, I played over various scenarios in my head. What possible questions would I be asked? How would I respond? How would I, in turn, ask appropriate questions about a company or an employer I knew absolutely nothing about?

"Isabella Swan?"

"That's me." I startled a little when I finally heard my name called. I stood and tried to smooth my skirt with one hand as I walked toward the double doors. Calm. Focus. "Hello." I smiled at the woman with the clipboard.

"Thank you for being on time." The woman spoke with a practiced formality. "This portion of the interview process will be a short one. I'll direct you to one of our meeting rooms, where you will stand before a small panel. They'll have a few questions for you, to allow you to elaborate on your credentials. Just be as succinct as possible. The employer is seeking immediate hiring, so we need to get through as many of these interviews today as possible. If you're among the few chosen, you may be contacted by the agency for a second one-on-one interview. Do you understand?"

"Yes." I nodded, trying to keep up with her long stride.

"Good. Here we go." She pushed open a second set of doors and ushered me inside with her hand on my shoulder, indicating where I should stand. "Ms. Swan," she announced before turning to walk away, closing the door behind her.

A long table was set up to my right, and I slowly turned toward the panel that would interview me. Five individuals sat quietly behind the desk: two women and three men. I pulled my shoulders back and smiled. They seemed to be waiting for the man who sat in the center of the group to begin. His head was bowed slightly as he read over the papers in front of him, but when he slowly raised his head to look at me, I was instantly dismayed to realize he was the same man I'd just unfortunately met outside the building!

This time, he didn't have sunglasses on to shield his eyes from my view. His brows lowered, and his eyes, I saw for the first time, were dark-bottle green. He pinned me down with a stare, as though he could shoot lasers from those things. I licked my lips nervously and blinked, trying to come to grips with the fact I'd already made a horrible impression with one of the agency interviewers. I hoped I'd be able to recover quickly.

"Hello." I smiled, looking away from the man while making eye contact with the less ferocious-looking members of the panel. "My name is Bel— Isabella Swan. Thank you for having me here today."

"No," the man at the center of the desk said in a stern, biting voice that interrupted my introduction. Maybe I was stepping out of protocol by introducing myself. Perhaps I should've waited until I was addressed.

"I'm… sorry?" I stuttered.

"No," the man repeated, turning his face to the woman who sat beside him. "Is this some kind of joke? Get her out of here."

Upset by his instant and very rude dismissal, my mouth popped open. This interview was going to be over before it ever began. And why? Because I was younger than the other applicants? Feeling the urge to defend myself, or at least have the opportunity to present my credentials, I hurried to continue.

"As you can see by my resume and copy of my portfolio, I—"

"I said, get her _out_ of here!" the man ordered, pulling another file of papers open in front of him.

"Ms. Swan? I'm sorry, but this interview is over." A woman cut me off, pressing a button on the desk that immediately summoned the lady who'd walked me into this bloodbath. Feeling confused and absolutely miserable, I turned on my heel and tried to exit the room without running.

Tears filled my eyes as I walked down the hallway through which I'd just arrived. It was going to be humiliating, returning to the waiting area so soon, like trash being quickly swept out the door. Unable to control myself, I sniffled a little and wiped at my eyes. The woman walking beside me noticed and took pity on me, stopping just inside the double doors to allow me a moment to compose myself.

"Rough one, huh?"

"I don't think that can even count as an interview." I sadly shook my head. "Was I even in there thirty seconds?"

"You may have broken a new record," the woman said, teasing in an attempt to lighten my spirits. "Not all of our interviews are so abrupt, but we work with a lot of high-end clients. Most of them are very specific about the things they want or don't want. I'm sorry."

"So am I," I muttered.

I wanted to stay calm as I walked back through the waiting room. I planned to keep my head held high, to summon an unaffected, confident air. For all these people knew, maybe my interview was so short because I was just that damn awesome.

What _wasn't_ awesome was the way I couldn't quite keep my hands from shaking. When I passed the two women I'd been sitting beside just a few minutes earlier, their muffled giggles were enough to widen the crack in my defenses and make the walls start to crumble around me. My shaky grip on my portfolio loosened, and I dropped the leather book, causing papers to scatter on the floor around me.

"Shit." I cursed under my breath, not caring who might hear. I squatted down, hurriedly stuffing my wayward documents back into my folder and shoving it into my bag with frustration.

"Could've guessed how _that_ one would go," one of the women laughed.

All I could focus on at that point was getting out of the building without making a scene, but as things often happen for me, my plan was derailed once again. As I rushed out of the waiting area to the elevators, I slammed straight into someone who was walking around the corner. Instantly, I felt an icy cold wetness against my chest and looked down with horror. The front of my white shirt was completely doused with a freezing brown liquid, and the woman in front of me bore a similar wet stain down the front of her pretty light-blue pantsuit. Two empty Starbucks cups lay on the floor between our feet.

"I'm so sorry," I choked out, tears pricking my eyes once more. I needed to escape before I cried in front of these people, before I could make even _more_ of an ass out of myself. I pushed past the girl and, holding my bag, ran into the nearest elevator.

"Hey! You! Wait up!" I heard a voice behind me as I stomped my way across the concrete in front of the building. "You in the grey skirt! Wait up! Hey! You owe me for dry cleaning!"

I groaned and stopped in my tracks, reluctantly turning to face the woman who was chasing me down the sidewalk. She didn't look angry. In fact, she was smiling as she loped up toward me.

"I apologize. I didn't see you coming around the corner. I'll be happy to pay your cleaning bill."

"Oh, shit." The girl laughed and waved off my suggestion. "I only said that to get you to slow down. You walk fast!"

I narrowed my eyes and cocked my head as I looked at her. Something about the girl looked very familiar. When she turned her head a little, I saw a streak of bright blue in her dark black hair. It was then I realized where I'd seen her before. This was either the same girl I'd seen in front of the building earlier or she had a twin.

"Did we meet before?" I asked.

"I'm Alice." The girl smiled, putting her hand forward.

"Bella." I returned the introduction, shaking her hand politely.

"You probably didn't recognize me. I had to change my clothes before going into the office. They want me to look professional, you know?"

"Right," I nodded. I might not have felt as guilty for ruining the t-shirt and denim skirt she'd been wearing when I first saw her, but the suit she wore was obviously expensive. My new interview clothes were covered in coffee, as well. Now I'd have two cleaning bills to pay. "Anyway, I'm sorry about crashing into you like that. I can give you my address, and you can send the bill."

"I can get it from the temp agency," she shrugged. Oh. She must work there. An intern maybe? She'd been sent to fetch iced coffees.

"I hope I didn't get you in any trouble."

"Don't worry about it." She smiled. "How'd it go in there?"

"It was horrible. Maybe Select Staffing will call me if some other job comes up." I sighed with resignation.

"Well, you know I've got your back." Alice smiled. "I gotta get going, but I hope we run into each other again sometime. Well, not really run _into_ each other, like spilling coffee and all that, but… You know what I mean!" She waved and turned away, jogging back in the direction she'd come. I was left reeling in the wake of her rapid speech and boundless energy. She was the only bright spot in my day. If I were lucky, maybe Alice had some pull or leverage in that office and I wouldn't get blacklisted from the applicants pool. I still needed to find a job, but I definitely wouldn't be adding "Household Manager" to my list of job experience anytime soon.

 ****-Reviews are better than iced coffee. You know what to do!-****


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

"Seriously? Your interview went _that_ badly, and I had to wait three days to hear about it?" Jake asked, uncorking a bottle of wine. I had all but flopped across the futon that doubled as his bed, watching him work in the kitchen space assigned across the floor of his studio apartment. I sighed and twisted a strand of my long hair between my fingers.

"I've been in hiding. Too humiliated. It was horrible, Jake."

"Nothing some merlot can't fix. Come on. Move over." He swatted at the side of my thigh to get me to lift my body so that we could sit beside one another. I took the glass of wine he offered and sipped it thoughtfully.

"I really don't know what I'm going to do," I said, shaking my head. "I mean, I technically have until September to move out of my apartment, but you and I both know I can't stay there that long. I'm just in the way. I feel like I'm intruding!"

My father passed away when I was eighteen. The insurance money and the profits from the sale of our modest house were just enough to pay for me to go to college when I padded the sum with student loans. I was very fortunate when I met Angela, who was looking for a roommate. Her parents owned an old, three-story Victorian-style home that had been renovated into six small apartments. I had to pay a portion of the rent for the space I shared with Angela, but even that was cheaper than staying in the dorms. Now, with Angela's wedding looming at the end of the summer, her parents sold the old home to a buyer who wished to restore it to its original beauty.

While Angela insisted that she was in no hurry to see me go, her fiancé, Ben, had been all but living in our apartment for the past several months. The two were inseparable. I loved them both like siblings, and they were perfect for each other, but I couldn't help but feel like a third wheel to the couple busy making wedding plans while searching for the home they would share together after their nuptials. To see all of my friends doing so well and moving on in their lives was beginning to taste like the bitter remnants of a pill on the back of my tongue. I'd definitely been in a slump since losing my job.

"You know you can move in here, if you want," Jake offered as he'd done in the past.

"And rain on your dating parade? No way." I shook my head. "Besides, we'd kill each other over closet space." Jake was the most fashion-obsessed man I knew.

Ever since I'd met him during an art history class we shared, Jake had been one of my very best friends. He was a junior when I was only a freshman. He was tall, with nearly jet-black hair and warm brown eyes. We got to know each other while working in a study group together. I almost instantly developed a crush on the older boy. We shared so many similar interests! It didn't take long for me to figure out that one of those things we had in common was our taste in men.

He'd worked in the small used-book store that was housed beneath his apartment since high school. After Jake graduated from college, he offered to buy the store from its previous owner, who was looking forward to retirement near his family in Florida. Jake worked tirelessly to keep the bookstore alive in a market where large, convenient chain stores thrived. I admired him for his work ethic and commitment.

"I'm going to need someone to help out in the store when the new semester starts up," Jake continued. "Molly's taking a shit-ton of classes this year, and her schedule's a nightmare."

"I appreciate it, Jake—I really do—but minimum wage isn't going to cut it."

"So maybe you'll take a second job, too." Jake shrugged. "This is all just a temporary setback, Bell. You're an awesome teacher. Something will come along. In the meanwhile, you'll make it work."

"What would I do without you?" I asked, leaning to rest my head against his shoulder. Jake kissed the top of my head and hugged me to his side.

"You'll never have to find out, doll."

Back at home, I grabbed a pint of ice cream from the freezer and left the apartment, headed for the small set of stairs at the end of the hall that gave us private roof access. It was probably the one thing about living in the apartment I'd miss the most; a perk to Angela being the homeowners' daughter. We'd set up the back corner of the roof to make a very cool hangout spot. With Christmas lights strung around the railing and a large table with chairs, I loved to come up here beneath the canopy of the aged-oak trees that shaded the home, hiding from the world. I pulled a chair out and leaned back with my feet on the edge of the table, digging into my double fudge chunk treat.

"Ahh! I thought I might find you up here." Angela smiled as she came through the access door. "And it looks like date night!"

"Yep. With the only true love of my life: Haagen-Dazs!" I giggled, wagging my spoon at her. "What are you doing home? I thought you and Ben were looking at houses today."

"I needed a break." Angela shook her head. "I sent Ben out to spend some time with his brother. This is all so stressful. We're practically biting each other's heads off over the most ridiculous things! We actually got into an argument today about grass! _Grass_! Like I really give a crap about fescue, or bluegrass, or whatever! It was so stupid." She sat down across from me and popped the top off a bottle of beer, taking a long, deep swallow.

"You're going to be happy later that Ben is being so picky right now," I told her.

"I know, I know. And I guess it's only fair, since I've been driving him nuts about wedding details. By the way, I think I've decided on the yellow bridesmaid dresses, so you have a few months to work on your tan!"

"I'll get right on it." I gave her a mock-salute. I was still worried about working the expenses of her wedding into my strained budget, but I'd never let Angela know that. She deserved her day to be magical. Jake was right; I'd make it work.

From the doorway, I could make out the sound of our telephone ringing below.

"I'll get it," I told Angela, rising from my seat. "I need to put my ice cream away, anyway. Otherwise, I won't be able to fit into that bridesmaid's dress!"

I managed to make it downstairs in time to answer the telephone before it stopped ringing.

"Hello?" I asked into the receiver, slightly out of breath.

"Isabella Swan?"

"This is she." I cradled the phone between my shoulder and ear as I walked to return my ice cream to the freezer.

"Hello. This is Maria Langston from Select Staffing." The tempagency? I hadn't expected to be contacted by them again.

"What can I do for you, Ms. Langston?" I asked.

"You were here for an interview on Monday, correct?"

"Yes." _If you could call it that,_ I thought.

"The employer would like to offer you the position. If you're still interested, you can drop by our office between 2:00 and 4:00 to receive the address of your assignment and the additional information you'll need to get started."

 _What?_

"Ms. Swan?"

"Yes. I'm sorry." I nodded. "Of course. I can come by tomorrow."

"Wonderful. See you then."

The call ended, and I held the phone in front of my face, staring at it with disbelief. I hadn't even expected to be called back for a second interview, but I was being offered the job? This had to be some kind of clerical error.

"What's up, buttercup?" Angela asked, stepping into the room.

"That job? The horrible, _horrible_ interview?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I just got it."

"You _got_ it?"

"I _think_ so…"

"Hell yeah!" Angela skipped forward and hugged me enthusiastically. "I came down here to get another beer, but now I think _you_ should have one, too! This calls for a party!"

"I'm pretty sure they made a mistake." I shook my head. "You don't know how bad it was. I mean, it was like a nuclear blast sort of bad. What if I go in there tomorrow, and they see me… and they realize they meant to call someone else?"

"That's not going to happen," Angela insisted. "These people work for high rollers. They can't afford to be wrong. If they called you, it was because your resume was so amazing that you didn't even need an interview. Be positive! I _told_ you everything would work out! I'm going to call Ben and have him bring home some pizza. And more beer. And you can call Jake. Tonight, we celebrate!"

Just four days later, my hands were sweating so much that I had to wipe them against the front of my skirt just to keep a grip on my steering wheel. Following the directions I'd been given at the temp agency, I turned from a main road to pass between two wrought-iron gates that sectioned a very exclusive community away from outside traffic. I knew this area by reputation alone. Once, when I was just starting out in college, Angela and I had driven by to try to glimpse the mansions we knew belonged to the very richest people in St. Louis County. It was rumored that a big Hollywood actor had purchased one of the homes just to stay in when he visited family in the area.

I felt like an intruder, driving my father's rusted old truck down the pristine street. I only hoped the vehicle wouldn't backfire as it had a knack of doing, announcing my arrival in the land of wealth and power like a cannon shattering their perfect solitude.

I swallowed hard when I re-read the address on the card I'd been given and turned my truck to creep up an amazing, curved driveway. The house that loomed ahead of me was newer than some of the others in the area. It had a slightly more modern design, but it was regal, elegant. With columns stretched across the front of its light-colored stone facing and a large, rounded veranda that greeted me atop two levels of brick stairs, the place looked like a palace. I parked in front of one of the four doors of the garage at the top of the drive, turned my key off in the ignition, and closed my eyes.

"Lord, help me," I quietly prayed. I needed to get my act together. I'd never seen a home so large and so lovely, aside from pictures in magazines, but if things worked out, I'd be working in this one and _living_ here for the next few months! I already felt like a weed in a carefully tended rose garden.

I glanced at my phone to check the time. Maria Langston had assured me that someone from Select Staffing would be here at 11:00 to introduce me to my new employer. It was still five minutes before the hour. Perhaps I should've driven around a little longer…

"Hey! Bella!"

I looked toward my window with surprise to see Alice, the girl I'd met at the Select Staffing office, waving at me from the top of the grand entrance stairs. Was she the liaison sent to meet me? I was shocked by her appearance. She wore striped tube socks pulled up her calves, cut-off denim shorts, and a t-shirt depicting a band logo. Her short hair was pulled into two low pigtails. She didn't look at all as she had when dressed for work. She could've passed for eighteen or nineteen years old dressed as she was.

But still, she must've been able to pull some major strings at the office to get me considered for this job. As odd as her appearance seemed, I was grateful and returned her wave with a flutter of my fingers.

"Get in here." She pulled her arm forward. "It's already hot as hell outside. I'm melting! Want some lemonade?"

Feeling confused by the girl's informality, I got out of my car and straightened my skirt as I walked carefully up the large brick steps.

"Hello?" I asked, slowly pushing at the door that had been left open for me.

"The kitchen's to your right!" Alice's voice nearly echoed in the cavernous foyer. I looked around with wide eyes. For the home looking so lovely on the outside, it was practically barren inside _._ I could see a few pieces of large, heavy furniture were placed in a main room to my left, but there were no wall hangings or rugs, no subtle touches of home. I walked through an elegant dining room, lightly touching the surface of the beautiful table that sat beneath an exquisite chandelier, but it might've come straight from a museum. I couldn't tell that the furniture had ever been used.

"Are you lost?" I heard Alice's voice, louder now, and turned through another doorway to see her standing in the middle of a state-of-the-art kitchen. Most chefs would kill to have a setup like this one!

"Sorry. I'm here," I told her, self-consciously patting the side of my pulled-back hair. "You should have left a map at the front door!"

"Yeah. This place is ginormous, right?" Alice shrugged. "You'll get used to it soon enough. Just don't mind the echo. It's a work in progress. Did you say you wanted some lemonade?"

"That would be nice." I nodded, still looking around.

"Well, pull up a chair, partner," Alice said in a silly John Wayne-type accent, pointing to a tall stool at a bar counter. "I don't know how you all deal with this heat. It's not even fully summer yet, and I'm about ready to die.

"You're not from around here?"

"Washington. State, not D.C," Alice said, putting a glass of cool lemonade on the bar counter. "And you're from St. Louis?"

"Born across the river," I told her. "Small town, Illinois address, about twenty minutes outside of the city."

"Still a native," Alice grinned. "Calm down. Sip your drink. You look like you're about ready to jump out of your skin!"

"I'm sorry," I apologized, making an effort to stop wringing my fingers. "This is… more informal than I thought it would be. Do you know the employer well?"

"Duh!" Alice giggled. "I _am_ the employer!"

"You're…"

"Well, kinda. I'm the one who hired you, anyway. Who did you _think_ I was?"

"I thought you worked at Select Staffing," I muttered. "They said they were sending someone here to introduce me!"

"Ahh. That Maria chick? Yeah… I told her I didn't need her to come. I mean, you and I are practically friends already! Bonded by Starbucks and all that. I'll bet you're as confused as hell. I'm sorry. I'm sort of flaky sometimes. I didn't even formally introduce myself. I'm Alice Brandon. Nice to meet you!"

"Bella Swan," I smiled. "But you already knew that."

"Yup. I had your file pulled as soon as I got back to the office. I was supposed to be sitting in on the interviews, but I was dying for some coffee. Anyway, I guess I missed yours. Everyone else sucked, though. I didn't want any of them working with me. I wanted _you_."

I felt like I was caught up in a dream. Try as I might, I couldn't imagine this colorful, slightly frantic creature in front of me being the mistress of this home.

"I'm sorry…" I shook my head slightly, trying to sort my thoughts. "The temp agency kept most of the details about this job a mystery. I'm not really sure what a 'Household Manager' is. Are you hiring me as a nanny?"

"A nanny?" Alice wrinkled her forehead, looking confused. "Oh! That's right. I had Jackie with me when we met! No." She shook her head. "Jackie's my nephew. He was here for a visit."  
"So… a maid?" I asked, not liking the option as well but not feeling in the position to be picky.

"Not even," Alice snorted. "You'll be the one scheduling the maids. And the groundskeepers, maintenance, movers… Basically managing things here in _this_ house. A Household Manager. I guess we could've listed it as 'Estate Manager,' but that sounds so… eh… I don't know. Stuffy? Fancy? I mean, this place is huge, but we want it to feel like a real home when we're finished. Know what I mean? Household Manager. That's better, don't you think?"

My mouth popped open a little, surprised that the job title was so literal.

"I know it's more staff than you're used to. Your resume said you managed a group of twelve?"

"What?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

"Your online resume. Your boss, Jacob Black, wrote a very detailed endorsement for you about the time you spent managing his bookstore…"

Oh, shit! I closed my eyes, fighting back a groan. Jake had helped me upload my resume to the temp site. Apparently, he'd taken it upon himself to boost my credentials a little. At least I finally understood why my application had been pulled for a management position. I might've helped out in Jake's bookstore a couple of times when he was short-staffed, but I'd certainly never managed it. And as far as that went, he'd never had more than two or three people on his payroll at any given time! I was going to kill him!

"I'm…" I bit my lip and looked up at Alice, trying to find a way to tell her I didn't have the qualifications she was looking for without making myself look like a total fraud. "Jake's a very good friend of mine, and I think he probably exaggerated the importance of my role in working with him."

"Well, I also saw that you have experience working at a school."

"Yes." I nodded enthusiastically. Now _that_ was accurate information tI felt secure in sharing. "I taught in a classroom for two years."

"Perfect," Alice clapped. "If you can handle the daily chaos of a whole classroom of children, this job should be easy for you! It's really just a matter of being super organized and schedule-oriented."

"I am." I smiled.

"Well, excellent!" Alice clapped her hands together. "Okay. Then let's get this paperwork and stuff out of the way, all right? Then I can give you a tour and show you where you'll be staying."

For the next thirty minutes, Alice produced paper after paper for me to sign: non-disclosure statements, privacy agreements, tax papers. I stalled when I got to the final page, staring at the numbers that depicted my salary.

"Is something wrong?" Alice asked.

"This amount," I said, tapping the page with my pen. "It's higher than what I was told." Was I really going to receive room and board _and_ one thousand dollars a week? The numbers boggled my mind.

"I was given free reign." Alice shrugged. "I decided to up it a little based on the fact that we're desperate. I need someone to start _pronto_. I'm supposed to be getting this house livable, but my own business is really starting to take off. It's my baby, and I just don't have the time to spend on all of this." She waved her hands around. "Plus, I just know you'll be perfect for the job. I had a feeling about you the day we met. I have a certain way of just _knowing_ things. Like… when you know, you know, you know? Besides, Edward can afford it!"

"Edward?" Alice was hard to keep up with when she got on a roll.

"He's the one who brings home the bacon and signs the checks." Alice grinned. "He's hardly ever here, as you can imagine. His schedule's brutal, and he's constantly out of town."

"Okay…"

"He might take a _little_ convincing because he totally loves Ms. Spreckels. Lotti Spreckels. She's this old German lady you'll be replacing. Runs a really tight ship. You'll get to meet her, because she's coming in tomorrow to train you and everything. But anyway, her sister, Letta, is going to have surgery. Her _twin_ sister. Lotti and Letta Spreckels. I can't even imagine two identical Ms. Spreckels-es. Whatever. Scary. You'll understand when you meet her." Alice shivered. "But anyway… Her sister's getting her hip replaced, and they said her recovery time will be about three months, so Ms. Spreckels is going to Ohio to help out, which is part of the reason we need someone who can take over right away. Is tomorrow too soon?"

"I…" I blinked, trying to keep up. "No. It's fine. I'll do my best," I assured her, signing the final papers. I might not be a Spreckels, but I was a Swan, damn it! I had determination in spades, and the salary Alice just offered me was too good to pass up.

"Good! Now, come on. I'll show you where your room is."

The basement level of the mansion was fully finished but not at all furnished. The largest area of the main room was converted into a home gym that rivaled anything I'd seen in a commercial-type setup. Rows of machines lined the walls, and there was even a Jacuzzi and sauna area. It was very impressive.

"Down at the end of the hall here? That's Edward's office. Unfortunately, even when he's home, he needs to work a lot."

"I can imagine." I nodded. His job must be very important if it helped him to afford all of this grandeur.

"Eventually, I'm going to move all of his collectables into this area here. Make it a sort of Hall of Fame or whatever." She rolled her eyes. "He's collected baseball junk since he was a kid. Now, as you can imagine, he just gets more and more every year, but I'm not going to let him strew it all around the house. That would just be tacky."

"So the lower level will be his man cave?"

"Exactly!" Alice smiled. "Do you like baseball?"

"I don't know." I pulled up one shoulder. "Haven't watched a game in years. It's okay, I guess."

"Are you for real?" Alice snorted. I could do nothing but shrug apologetically. Did she think I would be bothered by her husband having a basement full of baseball junk around? The man could turn the lower level of his house into a museum for his Beanie Babies collection, for all I cared. It wasn't my business what these people wasted their money on! "You really are too good to be true. Do you know that?" Alice smiled. "Come on. Let's finish the tour.

"Now these rooms? They're all maintenance related; water heaters, pipes, furnace. The main components of the alarm and grounds cameras and stuff are all here…" She touched doors as she passed them. "But down at this end? This is where I've made _your_ room. Now, I didn't intend to keep you sectioned off in, like, some dark little servant's quarters or something. You have the run of the entire house. I promise. I just thought the space would give you more privacy."

Alice opened the door, and I was immediately awed by the spacious and comfortable room: a large, four-poster bed covered with a lovely ivory quilt and mounds of pillows; a butter-soft-looking leather chair and ottoman; a television and music center hidden inside a beautiful cabinet; a desk; and a bookcase. Despite the room being below ground level, it had a very light and airy feel.

"I tried to keep it simple," Alice explained. "So you'd have plenty of space to add your own touches. I'd like you to feel at home here."

"You did this?"

"Uh-huh." Alice nodded. "That's my business! Interior decorating and design!"

"It's perfect." I smiled. "Really."

"The doors in the gym will take you out to the backyard, and you have an access stairwell to the garage, too. You really can come and go as you like."

I was busy checking out my private spa-style bathroom while she spoke. It was larger than the one I shared in my apartment with Angela. I was excited about getting to call this place home for the next few months. I had all but forgotten how uncomfortable I'd felt when I drove up to this huge mansion in my father's old rusted-out truck, afraid I wouldn't fit in, but Alice was as unpretentious as any of my closest friends, despite being mistress to this grand estate. Not only was she my boss, but I really could imagine the two of us actually hanging out together. And as for her husband? I hadn't met him, yet, but any man who could love this down-to-earth and eccentrically dressed sprite of a woman _had_ to be a decent sort with a good sense of humor. Yeah… I was going to like it here.

 **** Reviews are better than ice cream, pizza, AND beer. I read and love every one of 'em. So leave one!****


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

"Don't hate," I texted Jake, attaching a picture I'd just taken. After I'd unpacked my clothing and hung it all up in my massive walk-in closet, the storage space was still large enough for me to hide inside while I snapped a selfie to send to my friend.

"Ahh. Just like me at age seventeen," Jake texted back. "IN THE CLOSET."

I giggled and pushed my phone into the front pocket of the khaki skirt I'd worn for my first official day of work. Then I straightened my hair back into my low ponytail and went upstairs to the kitchen.

"You're just in time." Alice smiled. She was wearing a purple-and-pink tutu over a pair of tie-dyed leggings today, making my modest skirt and shirt seem stodgy in comparison. "Ms. Spreckles is here. She's ready to start your training!"

Lotti Spreckels was a force to be reckoned with. Standing only five feet tall from the crown of her white head to the heels of her orthopedic shoes, she spoke with a strong German accent and snapped her fingers at me to get my attention. And Alice was correct; it was a scary concept to imagine her in duplicate.

"You, listen carefully!"

I was the dutiful student and took pages of notes while Ms. Spreckels took me down a long list of her daily duties. She kept detailed records of the people who came and went from the estate doing various jobs: groundskeepers, a pool crew, grocery deliveries, housekeepers. Alice also planned to have multiple people around to bring in furniture and décor, paint, and remodel, and Ms. Spreckels instructed that I was not merely supposed to organize all of the staff so they could work seamlessly around each other but that I was to oversee their work constantly to make sure it was all done correctly. Not to mention that the timetable would change weekly based on the work schedule of their employer. When Edward was home, he liked as little interruption as possible. It all had to be well orchestrated so he wouldn't be inconvenienced in any way. It was mind-boggling, but Alice was right when she said I didn't feel overwhelmed by it at all. In fact, I felt excited about the challenge. Once I got into the groove of things, I was certain I'd be able to handle the job.

By the time Ms. Spreckels decided she'd done all she could do to prepare me for my work to come, I had half a notebook worth of scribbled instructions to pore over before bed. Alice was going to be working on a job site across town the following day. That meant I would be on my own. I said I could do it, and I would, but I had some very big shoes to fill if I hoped to measure up to Ms. Spreckels.

If I hadn't been so tired, I really might've turned cartwheels down the front steps, because I was so ecstatic over how well my first day had gone. This summer was going to be very busy but also a great learning experience. I was staying in a beautiful mansion—rent-free—I was making a thousand dollars a week, and I already _really_ liked my boss. It was like a dream come true!

Until it wasn't.

I woke in my bed and rolled over to look at my bedside clock. It was nearly 2:00 in the morning. I blinked my eyes, trying to figure out what had woken me. A sound? It would probably take me a while to get used to sleeping in a new place.

With a sigh, I sat up and placed my feet on the floor. I'd stayed at my apartment for almost three hours, packing up books and a few pictures to bring over to my new living quarters while stowing other items in boxes that would eventually be placed in a storage unit. Back at the Brandon estate, I put my things away, took a shower, and then stayed up until almost midnight finishing a novel Jake had given me. Now, only two hours later, I was wide awake.

Deciding that maybe a cup of warm milk would help me settle back to sleep, I shoved my feet into my raggedy old slippers and quietly left my room to go to the kitchen. The light coming through the windows was more than enough to see by as I navigated around the room, pouring milk into a mug and placing it in the microwave to heat. When the electronic beep indicated my drink was warm, I took it out and leaned against the counter, carefully blowing steam across the top of my mug.

Surprised by the sudden bright light that filled the room around me, I spun quickly. The mug I was holding slipped from my fingertips, and I shrieked when I saw a large figure standing across the room. The mug hit the ceramic tiles near my feet and shattered, spilling hot milk across the floor. Wide eyed, I placed my hands over my mouth as I stared at the man who had given me such a fright. Almost instantly, I recognized him.

Tall. Broad shoulders. Expensive suit. Cinnamon hair. Wickedly handsome.

 _No. No No No NO!_

His expression of surprise quickly morphed into something dangerously dark. His green eyes narrowed, and his fists clenched at his sides.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing here?" the man snarled. "ALICE!" he bellowed, immediately turning to stomp from the room.

"This can't be happening _,"_ I whispered with a shaky voice, hurriedly reaching for a towel and getting down on my hands and knees to clean up the mess I'd just made. Shards of my mug were everywhere, littered throughout the white milk. The man from the agency? That horrible, nasty man was Alice's _husband_?

"Ouch! Shit!" I hissed as a piece of jagged glass cut my finger during my frantic mopping. I jumped up, blood already trickling down my palm, and ran to the sink to shove my hand under a stream of cold water. Tears filled my eyes. This was like my worst nightmare come to life!

"What's going on?" I heard Alice ask with a tired voice and turned to see the man practically dragging the smaller woman into the kitchen with a firm grip on her arm.

" _You_ tell me!" he growled, throwing one long arm up to point in my direction. "Do you want to tell me just what in the hell you're thinking? I mean, I know that you like to test my patience, but you've gone too damned far this time!"

"Edward? She's bleeding!" Alice argued, pulling away from him while rushing over to my side. "Bella, are you all right?"

"Be careful," I warned her, looking down at her bare feet. "I broke a mug. There's glass…"

"Do you think you need stitches or anything?"

"No." I shook my head. "It's just a little cut. I'll be fine. He… startled me."

"I… startled… _you_?" the man sputtered. "I come home to find a goddamned stranger standing in the middle of my kitchen! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"She's _not_ a stranger," Alice argued, grabbing some paper towels to wrap around my finger. "She _works_ here! Well, _lives_ here now, too. She's our new Spreckels!"

"Like _hell_ she is!" I didn't think it was possible for her husband to look more furious, but he did. "I said it at that agency, and I'll say it again now: she is _not_ working here. Got it? My God, Alice! Have you lost your _fucking_ mind?"

"Watch your language when you're talking to me!" Alice turned to face him.

"I know you were feeling the pressure of hiring someone quickly, but you deliberately went behind my back, Alice!" He paced back and forth like a tiger in a cage. "I already told you I'm not having some goddamned _dirt bunny_ living in _my_ house, my _personal space_ , spending time with _my_ family and friends!"

I couldn't take another moment of his tirade, of his insults, of his rage. Over what? I'd done nothing wrong! Clearly, the man was an elitist. He thought me as low as… a "dirt bunny"?What in the hell did that even mean? I gripped the paper towel around my finger tightly and ran from the room.

What in the heck did Alice see in that vile person upstairs? Was it his money? His good looks? The two were as mismatched as I could even imagine. And he was clearly abusive. Who talked to his wife that way?

I shoved my things back into the suitcase I'd placed in the closet and pulled a hooded jacket over the t-shirt and pajamas pants I was wearing before hurrying up the access stairs to the garage. Just a press of the button lifted the doors to let me escape from this horrible experience. I'd contact Alice and have her send the rest of my things later. I wasn't going to spend another second in this monster's home. I could have cried; I was so disappointed about being out of work yet again. Alice was a wonderful lady, but if I never saw her husband again in my life, I'd be better off.

Two days later, and I was in the middle of a full-fledged pity party. I thought my summer was going to be wonderful. Now, I was back in my apartment, searching through employment opportunities online, and cursing the day I'd ever stepped into the Select Staffing office.

Angela and Ben tried to cheer me up. Ben was cooking burgers on the grill upstairs, and the two lured me out for a bit of fresh air and a cold beer to lighten my mood. They'd even invited Jake over, knowing I was on the verge of having a complete breakdown. For a while, their plan worked. I did feel slightly better, surrounded by the love and support of my surrogate family.

"This is a bump in the road," Jake told me. "You'll come work at the bookstore, and this guy I've been dating? James? He said they're hiring part-time at Pi, too. He could probably get you on the schedule there."

"Perfect," I muttered. "All that money to pay for a college degree so I can end up serving pizzas. But hey, you can always make me a _manager_ at the bookstore _,"_ I threw as a barb. Jake and I had already shared words about his choice to "boost" my resume the way he had.

"Don't knock it," Angela suggested. "It's just temporary. To get you by."

"Ugh," I said, putting my head down on the table.

"Nurse! We're losing her! Bring another beer stat!" Ben yelled.

Angela jumped up from the table, giggling, and left to retrieve another round of drinks.

I got up and walked over to the railing, pressing my palms against the wood while letting the evening breeze tickle my cheeks. I needed to stop this. I'd never been such a drama queen. I was becoming a serious drag, and my friends were all trying _so_ hard to be supportive. No more feeling sorry for myself.

"Um, guys?" Angela's voice sounded strange as she came back up to the roof. "We have a visitor."

I turned to see who Angela had brought to join our small party, nearly groaning out loud when I saw the man who had followed behind my roommate on the stairs. He was in jeans and a simple cotton t-shirt instead of the tailored suits I'd seen him in before, but that face was instantly recognizable, aside from the clearly uncomfortable and possibly embarrassed expression he wore.

"Sorry for interrupting. I hoped to speak with Miss Swan."

"Holy shit!" Ben breathed, his mouth hanging open. "Bella? Did you win a contest or something?"

"No _way_."Jake looked shocked, as well. I looked over at Angela and saw she was practically dancing beside the man. Everyone looked _thrilled_ to see the guy who had all but thrown me out of his house just a couple of days before. Had I stepped into an episode of _The Twilight Zone_?

"What are _you_ doing here?" I nearly hissed, curling my lip in distaste.

"Bella!" Angela expelled my name and looked appalled by my rudeness. I didn't _have_ to be polite. This overbearing, pompous jerk was not in some luxury high-rise office building now. Nor was he standing in the middle of his multi-million dollar mansion. He was on _my_ turf, among _my_ friends, and I was in no mood for playing nice. " _Leave_! Get out _right now_!"

"What are you doing?" Ben jumped up from his seat. "Bella? What's gotten into you? Do you know who this is?"

"I know _exactly_ who this is!" I snapped, my voice rising. "This is the asshole who fired me just one day after I was hired to work for him!"

"He's…" Jake still looked stunned and shook his head. "You said that guy's last name was Brandon."

"Yeah. Brandon," I nodded.

"Brandon?" Jake repeated.

"Yes! _Alice_ _Brandon_ hired me!" I threw my hands out. "Hello? What's wrong with you all? I told you all about this guy!"

"Oh, my Lord." Angela backed up and began to giggle. I narrowed my eyes at her, and her giggling turned into full-out laughter. "Wait! Wait. This is too good!" She gasped. Ben seemed to catch on to the joke, and he started chuckling, as well.

"Are there hidden cameras around here? Is this being filmed for some gag reel? What's going on?"

"That's what _I'd_ like to know," I said, folding my arms over my chest. My friends were all acting like they'd taken crazy pills. So much for counting on them to have my back. Edward and I were the only two standing on the roof who weren't doubled over with laughter.

"Whew. Okay… Let me get this straight," Angela said, finally catching her breath while wiping tears away from her eyes. "You're telling me that _he_ is the gorgeous guy you saw at the temp agency and cut your interview short?"

"You called me gorgeous?" Edward smirked, causing me to glare at him in return.

"I also called you the antichrist," I said through clenched teeth.

"And an asshole!" Ben laughingly inserted.

"Well… He deserved it!" I pointed my finger at the man. "You called me… a… a… dirt bunny!" At that, Jake got up from his seat, dancing around like he might pee his pants because he was laughing so hard. I didn't understand. None of this was funny to me at all. In fact, I was still trying to figure out what the man was doing on the roof of my apartment. "Why did you come here? Alice can send me any of the things I left behind…"

"I came here because Ally refuses to speak to me until I've apologized to you."

"So? Tell her you apologized. Whatever. I don't want you here."

"You've made that obvious."

"As you've done on more than one occasion!" I yelled at him. "You made me feel like shit at that interview. And why? Because I'm younger than the other applicants?"

"Because I thought you were just another fan who trying to ingratiate herself into a very private area of my life."

"A fan?" I looked at each of my friends, finally starting to understand why they all seemed to know this man already. Slowly, a horrifying realization began to dawn on me. "You're… _famous_ or something, aren't you?"

"Can we please sit down?" Angela asked. "My head's starting to spin!"

"He won't be staying long enough to get comfortable," I pointed out.

"Well, I'm inviting him to sit down. Want a beer, Edward?"

"I'd love one. Thanks," he said, taking the bottle Ben offered. I sniffed angrily as he lowered himself into _my_ seat. To prevent another argument from derailing the conversation, Jake sat down in his chair and pulled me to sit across his lap.

"May I?" Ben asked. Edward shrugged, and Ben turned to look at me. "Edward _Cullen_ herejust happens to be the centerfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals."

"Two-time golden glove recipient," Jake added, tipping his beer in Edward's direction. "And the top homerun hitter in the MLB last year. Am I right?"

"Not to mention that the Cardinals gave him the largest deal in the history of the organization last year just to get him to join the team!" Angela supplied.

"How do _you_ know that?" I asked my roommate.

"It was all over the news." Angela rolled her eyes. "Seriously. Everyone knows this, Bella!"

"Edward Cullen?" I asked. "But Alice…"

"She kept her last name." Edward shrugged.

"Whatever…" I huffed. "I don't really care. And as for your fame or whatever? You could _shit_ golden baseballs, and it wouldn't make difference to me. You're a bully, and you're arrogant, and you're—" I was cut off when Jake playfully put his palm over my lips to stifle them.

"No. No… She's right." Edward nodded, rolling his bottle of beer between his palms. "I've behaved really badly. But you have to understand that my privacy's everything to me—absolutely _everything_ —and I couldn't take a chance on hiring someone who'd be a threat to my family."

"A dirt bunny." Ben chuckled again, shaking his head.

"What is that, anyway?" I asked.

"A girl who sleeps around with baseball players," Jake informed me. "Though I've known a few guys who could earn the title, as well."

"Why would you assume that about me?" I asked, glaring at Edward once more. "I didn't even know who you were!"

"You said my jersey number when we first met. You said you were 'looking for number thirteen.' I _wear_ the number thirteen."

"Number thirteen," I groaned, closing my eyes. Finally, it all seemed to click into place. "But I wasn't—"

"I know that _now_ ," Edward said, looking shamefaced. "Alice explained everything. She said you helped her and Jackie out before that interview even began. And she told me that you said you haven't even watched a baseball game in years. It was an honest mistake, and I'm here to apologize. I was wrong about everything, and… I behaved disgustingly."

"Yes, you did."

"Alice isn't speaking to me. She really needs time to focus on her business right now. My house is in shambles since Ms. Spreckles left. I'm here to beg you to give us a second chance. We really need you… if you can forgive me."

"I don't know." I felt Jake nudge me strongly in the back. "I need to think about it."

"I can increase your salary."

Jake's gentle nudge turned into a hard enough push to make me lurch forward.  
"Stop it," I hissed at my friend before turning back to Edward. "I guess I can understand how you would've been confused by the way we met…"

"I'm fiercely protective of my family, Miss Swan, but I promise that if you come back to work for us, I'll do my best to make up for the way you've been treated."

All of my friends were looking at me with hopeful expressions. I toyed with my beer bottle for a moment before sighing.

"When do you need me to return?"

"Is tomorrow too early?"

 **Much love to Iris for her amazing beta-skillzzz , and to Pamela for pre-reading and cheerleading.**

 **Reviews are better than golden baseballs. Please leave one!**


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

"I'm so glad you came back!" Alice hugged me enthusiastically. "Edward's such a bonehead, but he's not completely unreasonable. Once he cooled down, I was able to tell him how bad he screwed up."

"I guess I can understand why he thought what he did." I smiled. "We didn't meet under the best of circumstances, and he's overprotective. I suppose someone in his position has to be so cautious. You might've warned me, though!"

"I had no idea he would react like _that_ when he saw you. I mean, I expected him to maybe be a _little_ pissed off because I didn't conduct follow-up interviews with the applicants he'd chosen, but I knew I'd be wasting my time. You're _exactly_ what we need around here. I didn't know that you and Edward had run into each other outside or what he thought—"

"It's okay." I shook my head. "How could you have known? At least it's all cleared up now."

"And thank God for that! I have a million errands to run before the game tonight. The team is in town for a three-game series against the Brewers. That means I get to go downtown and watch my man play some ball!"

Alice left, and I wheeled my suitcase to the stairs so I could put my things back in my room. On the lower level, I was so surprised to see Edward working out in the gym area that I knocked my shoulder painfully into the corner of the wall in my hurry to turn away.

"Ow!" I dropped the handle of my suitcase and rubbed my sore arm.

"Ms. Swan?" Edward sat up on his weight bench, looking over at me. I immediately flushed, feeling like a clumsy idiot.

"I didn't mean to intrude," I quickly apologized. "I was just bringing my things down to my room."

"I'm finished here." Edward smiled, roughing a short towel across the top of his damp hair. He stood and walked over to a mini-fridge set in the wall. "Would you like a bottle of water?"

"No, thanks. I'm fine," I told him. "Anyway… I'll just leave you to it."

"May I have a minute?"

"Sure," I told him, feet stalling.

"I just wanted to let you know I'll be leaving at around 1:00. I have some interviews to do before hitting the field for warm-up."

"Okay." I nodded. "Alice told me that she'll be gone tonight, too, to watch the game."

"Yeah. She loves to watch us play," Edward said. "She'd fly out for away games, too, if she could, but I've needed her here."

"Well, maybe with me around, she'll be able to take some of those trips."

"Oh, I'm sure." Edward nodded. "I have a few things for you in my office." He walked nearer, and I averted my eyes. I'd thought the man looked intimidating while wearing expensive suits. Now, dressed in a t-shirt with cut-off sleeves and a pair of long shorts, with his hair mussed and damp from exercise, I found his entire presence completely unnerving. The man nearly dripped with sex appeal. It wouldn't do for me to be caught unintentionally staring at my very married, very unavailable employer!

"I got you a phone," Edward said, pushing his office door open so I could enter ahead of him.

"Oh! But I have a phone!"

"This one's for work," he explained, tossing me the latest smartphone on the market. "My number is programmed in there, as is Alice's."

"Okay"

"We can also stay in touch through email and online chatting… I don't need to remind you to keep all of my contact information private, do I?"

"I'll keep it safe," I vowed.

"Good. Now, there's a matter of paperwork."

"More papers?"

"Well, I changed your salary, as I told you I would."

"That really isn't necessary." I shook my head.

"I said I'd give you more, and I meant it." Edward spoke with a stern voice that boded no argument. "It's more than fair, considering you have to work a lot of evening hours and weekends. For a girl your age, a schedule like this one can be quite an adjustment."

"I'm almost twenty-four," I pointed out. "I'm not _that_ young."

"My schedule is harsh, and yours mirrors it." Edward shrugged. "I like to have someone here at the house when I'm not, which is why the position comes with room and board. Alice _really_ needs to focus on her own business right now. She won't be around a lot. I'm afraid the schedule will seriously hinder your social life this summer. Again, welcome to _my_ world," Edward muttered with a slight chuckle. "Listen… It's hard for me to let people in. I've had to learn the hard way to be careful of whom I trust. This is my home, my life. Alice has complete faith in you. Contrary to the way we met, I'd really like this arrangement to work out."

"You can count on me." I smiled. "Do you need me to sign these now?"

"Whenever you'd like." Edward shrugged. "I have to shower and get a few things done before I leave. Just put the papers here on the desk when you've had a chance to read through and sign everything."

"Is that all, then?"

"For now, Miss Swan." He smiled, looking tired. "I'll be leaving—"

"At 1:00." I grinned. "Got it."

For the next few hours, I stayed in my room. I carefully returned the things I'd packed back to my closet and shoved my suitcase under my bed, saying a silent prayer I wouldn't be needing it again until the end of summer. I played around with my new phone and found that my personal calendar had already been filled with pages and pages of dates. Most of the things entered, I could tell, were baseball games and travel information. I knew they were vital in the scheduling portion of my work. It certainly presented a challenge, almost like a puzzle; I had to figure out where to place everything just right to make things work around that schedule. I could see that this phone was going to be my summer lifeline. By the time I signed the papers Edward had given me, I felt a little better about accepting the new salary Edward offered. He worked nearly non-stop all summer, and that meant I would be, too.

At 12:45, I made my way upstairs. I found Edward coming out of the living room, holding the straps of a large duffle bag in his hand. His reddish-brown head was bowed as he looked over a printout of what looked to be baseball stats.

"Ahh. My reliever's here," Edward said, smiling up at me. "You ready?"

"Sure am." I grinned. "The weather's great. I'm going to spend some time outdoors so I can get a better idea of what your groundskeepers and pool techs are working with."

"Good idea." Edward nodded. "And you're right. It's gonna be a great night for a ballgame! Alice is upstairs. Can you remind her I left the extra tickets she asked for on the kitchen counter? And please let her know if you need anything before she leaves again for the evening."

"Will do," I promised.

After Edward left, I went upstairs and searched for Alice. I found the girl standing in the middle of a surprisingly feminine bedroom, dancing around in circles while singing to loud music that played through her earbuds. I looked around the room cautiously, taking in the gauzy curtains that hung from the canopy style bed and the floral and striped patterns that were repeated throughout. It didn't seem like a space that would suit what I knew of her uber-masculine baseball-playing husband, but I supposed it made sense that Edward would've given her free reign in decorating since he wasn't home all that often, anyway.

"Alice?" I nearly yelled to get her attention. The girl spun toward me, yanking the small cords away from her ears.

"Damn it!" she exclaimed. "You scared the living shit out of me!"

"I'm sorry," I told her. "Edward told me to remind you that your tickets are on the kitchen counter. I just wanted to let you know I'd be outside for a while."

"Oh, okay." She nodded. She tossed her MP3 player on a table and walked over to a thin black box perched on her entertainment center. "Did I show you this, yet?" When I shook my head, Alice continued. "You have one of these in your room. It's just beneath your stereo, so you might've missed it. It's all connected through the same speakers and wires, so…"

"What is it?"

"It's an intercom system." She smiled. "In a house this large, you need a way to call out to people, you know? If you flip this switch right here, you can open a line to any room in the house."

"That will be very helpful." I nodded.

"Edward could've just called up here." Alice rolled her eyes. "But I think he forgets he has all this gadgety stuff around. We haven't always lived like this, you know? It's pretty new to us, but I work with this kind of thing all the time."

"I think it seems easy enough to figure out," I told her, glancing at the rows of buttons on the little black box.

"Yeah. It's not hard." Alice shrugged. "Took me a while to get used to, but it really does make things easier around here. Do you think Spreckels would've come all the way up those stairs just to give me a message from Edward? Hell no! She used the intercom all the time, which was kind of funny. Hearing her accent, yelling through the intercom? It usually scared the shit out of me. Like 'AH-LEECE. ED-WAARD EEEZ LEAVING NOW!'"

I giggled. Alice sounded more like Arnold Schwarzenegger than poor little Ms. Spreckles.

"Anyway, I'll be out back if you need anything before you go." I shook my head, turning from the silly sight of Alice making faces while still imitating the small German woman.

"All right! I'll let you know before I leave!"

Two hours later, I was tired and sweaty from walking around the property, but I'd met the head gardener who'd been a lot of help explaining to me that the people who mowed and handled weeds were not the same crew who tended to the plants and bushes. He'd even driven me back up to the house on the back of a golf cart, which I really appreciated. I was sitting on a patio chair, eyeing the swimming pool like a man seeing an oasis in the desert, when Alice found me.

"You look worn out!"

"And you look like you're ready to go have some fun," I told her. Alice was dressed in a pair of jean shorts, tall socks, and a red t-shirt with a sequined cardinal pulled across her chest.

"Gotta represent for my man." She shrugged. "You know, let the dirt bunnies know he's taken!" I laughed at her teasing reminder of Edward's initial misunderstanding when we met. "Are you going to watch the game tonight?"

"I'm going to _try_." I nodded, following behind her to the house. "Angela, one of my best friends, wants me to get online and help her pick out invitations and stuff."

"Invitations?" Alice tilted her head.

"She's getting married this fall." I nodded. "I'm the maid of honor, so it's kinda my duty to help out."

"Oooh! I _love_ planning things like that!" Alice smiled. "Let me know if you ever need any help. I have lots of connections. I'm going to guess that will keep you busy all night. Once you wade into the waters of online wedding planning…"

"It's never-ending." I shrugged.

"Well, call me if you need anything. Edward and I will be home late. Don't wait up!"

Waiting up was not an issue.

I wanted to watch the ballgame. I really did. Baseball meant a lot to this family, and I felt that my ignorance of the sport was going to end up being a hindrance, but Angela directed all of my attention to the laptop I'd opened while the game played silently on the television screen. From time to time, I was able to glance up, but then Angela sent me a link to yet another page of invitations and envelope designs, type set, RSVP cards… It went on and on. Finally, Angela decided what she wanted to order. By then, the game was over.

Rubbing my tired eyes, I put my laptop on the coffee table and lay down on the large leather couch, thinking I could watch the game highlights, but I fell asleep before I even learned the final score.

When I woke sometime later, I stretched and yawned. Without knowing how long I'd been asleep, I realized that I needed to turn off the lights and make my way downstairs to go to bed. And so I picked up my laptop and started making my way through the house, turning off light switches as I walked through each room. I nearly tripped over my own two feet, however, when I rounded a corner and saw Alice standing by the front door. She was _not_ alone!

My hand flew up over my mouth, and I stumbled while trying to retreat without being seen by the two people who were locked in a very passionate embrace. I was horrified. The man who was practically grinding himself into Alice while they kissed by the door was tall, blond, and definitely not Edward! I spun around the corner and pressed my back to the wall, a wave of disappointment rushing through me, making me feel sick to my stomach.

"Get out of here," I heard Alice giggle when the two finally came up for air. "Edward's already going to be in a pisser of a mood when he gets home. You know how much he hates to lose."

"And he won't be happy when we tell him the news," a deep voice chuckled, not sounding a bit bothered by their adulterous activity. "You're gonna have to let him know. This sneaking around shit is getting to me."

"I think he already has an idea," Alice told him. "He's seen it coming…."

I slid my body against the wall, desperate to make my escape before either of them knew I'd heard their conversation. Poor Edward!

I hurried downstairs and closed myself away in my room, throwing myself across my bed still fully dressed. More selfish thoughts started racing through my mind. I was working with a family who was obviously on the brink of divorce. Where would that leave me? Would I even have a job to count on once Alice dropped the bomb on her husband?

 ***~*~ Reviews are better than Arnold Schwarzenegger's accent. You know what to do!~*~***


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

"Man, you're in a bitch of a mood today," Jake told me, shelving a novel as I sneered at the happy-looking couple on the front cover.

"Romance is for fools." I rolled my eyes. "Happily ever after and all that?" I snorted. "And what did you expect? I told you I barely slept last night!"

"I don't know why you're losing sleep over someone else's shitty relationship problems." Jake shrugged.

"I can't help it! What if they get a divorce? I mean, that would make it really hard for me to stay there, right? I don't want to be working in the middle of all that drama! Or what if Alice figures out I know what she's been up to? What if she fires me?"

"Then you'll find a _new_ job," Jake replied. "And why do you automatically assume they'll get divorced? I mean, I think this kind of thing goes on all the time with upper-class folks; affairs and whatnot. Hell, they might even have one of those open relationships, for all you know! I know for a fact I've seen pictures of Edward standing next to all sorts of different women at events and stuff. I didn't even know he was married!"

"Well, it's not like they flash info about the players' personal lives on the leaderboards during a game or anything," I muttered. "But that doesn't feel right to me. I feel dirty for even having seen Alice and that guy together. I couldn't even look Edward in the face before I left the house this morning!"

"I'd be looking him in the face as often as I could." Jake chuckled. "That man is pure sex."

"Focus," I warned my friend.

"Just saying. I wouldn't mind being his _bat_ boy." Jake winked. "Okay. Seriously now. If you're that upset about it all, you should just talk to Alice. Be up front, and tell her you're uncomfortable with the situation."

"I can't do that." I shook my head.

"Well, then buck up and keep things professional. This lady isn't your friend; she's your employer. What she does and _who_ she does isn't your business."

"I guess…"

"You're there to take care of the house, right?" Jake asked, walking to the front of the store. "So do that. Just do your work to the best of your ability. If those two really are going through a lot with their personal lives, they probably need your help more than you know. _Your job_ should be your number one priority."

I didn't have to worry about avoiding Alice. She was gone when I returned to the house, but Edward, in a very sour mood, was certainly present.

"I can't find my fucking socks!" Edward stomped through the kitchen. "Mrs. Waters? I've asked you repeatedly to keep my fucking socks where I can goddamn find them on game day!"

"They should be in the laundry basket," I heard the head housekeeper reply, sounding not at all bothered by Edward's raised voice.

"Sorry to interrupt," I said from the doorway. Edward spun on his heel with a scowl on his face. I took a step backward, hit with the full force of his irate expression. "I j-just wondered what time you'll be leaving tonight."

"I'm about thirty minutes late already." Edward frowned. "And where the hell have _you_ been?"

"Alice told me you like alone time when you're home," I explained. "I went down to see Jake at his store."

"Jake? Is he that guy I met at your apartment? You were sitting on his lap."

"Yes." I nodded. "That's Jake. He owns a bookstore down on the Loop—"

"You know you can't have friends over here, right?" Edward asked with a clipped tone. "It's in the privacy agreement. I don't want you having people in my house unless I've given approval first."

"Yes, I know," I told him, folding my arms over my chest. "Which is why I went to see _him_ during my time _off._ The calendar you put in my phone said I wouldn't be needed until 3:00, and I talked to Mrs. Waters before I left."

"Well… I need to get to the stadium for extra batting practice. Last night was a complete fucking mess, and our manager wants us to be there earlier today. I can't find my fucking socks!" Edward growled deep in his throat before storming out of the room, still muttering curse words under his breath.

"Wow," I exclaimed. "Is he always like that?" I was beginning to see why he and Alice had a strained relationship.

"Sometimes, after the team loses." Mrs. Waters shrugged. "They lost seven to five last night. _And_ he's annoyed because he can't find his lucky socks."

"Lucky socks?"

"These boys who play baseball." Mrs. Waters sighed and shook her head. "All of these superstitions! Edward has lucky socks. And that hair!"

"His hair?" I asked.

"He won't cut it." She rolled her eyes. "Not all season. That's part of the reason he's earned his nickname."

"Which is?"

"The Lion." She smiled. "His hair grows long, shaggy, and the color…" She smiled. "Ahh. But this Lion does not bite. Don't be afraid, little lamb." Mrs. Waters smiled. "Just watch out for that roar!"

"I'm gonna put my new books downstairs, and then I'll help you look for those socks, okay?"

"Okay, Bella. Thank you!"

I went to my room and deposited my new reading material on my bookshelf before changing into cooler clothes. The air conditioning didn't work in my truck, and the day was already so hot that I felt sweaty and gross after driving. I had just pulled a pair of shorts up over my hips when there was a light knock on my bedroom door. Assuming Mrs. Waters had come to find me, I hurried to the door and opened it. Instead of seeing the kind housekeeper, I was surprised to see Edward standing in the hallway. His hair was wet, as though he had just showered, and his dress shirt was unbuttoned, exposing the light smattering of hair that covered his broad chest. Unwittingly, my eyes traveled down the gap in his shirt, giving me a glimpse of very well-defined abs and a tempting trail of hair that led to his beltline. Desperate to not be caught staring at my employer, I blinked and rapidly looked up at his face. Damn, but the man was too good-looking for my own good!

"Can I help you?" I asked, clearing my throat to chase away the breathy quality it had just adopted.

"I was hoping we could talk for a moment," he said. "May I come in?"

"Okay," I mumbled, moving aside so he could pass me in the narrow doorway. I felt my cheeks flush as he brushed against my side in passing, and I inhaled a wonderful, spicy smell of the soap he'd just used. He smelled as amazing as he looked. That wasn't good. In fact, the entire room seemed to shrink around his imposing presence. It shouldn't bother me so much that he was in my private room… but it did. I was feeling aware of him in ways I knew I shouldn't, especially when Edward lowered himself to sit on the edge of my bed.

"Alice did a good job in here," Edward noted. "It looks nice. Are you comfortable?"

 _Not at the moment,_ I inwardly thought.

"Yes. It's great. Thank you." I nodded. "I doubt you came in here just to check out the décor…"

"I'm sorry." Edward chuckled and shook his wet head, looking down toward his lap. "You're right. I wanted to apologize for my behavior up in the kitchen. I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I'm not the one who deserves the apology. Do you always yell and curse at your staff like that?" I asked before thinking. Edward looked up at me, clearly surprised I'd lectured him about the way he spoke to his housekeeper.

"I wasn't yelling and cursing _at_ her." Edward looked shamefaced. "I was just… venting."

"Oh, is that what that was?" I sarcastically returned, raising my eyebrow questioningly.

"Listen, I spend most of my time with professional baseball players," Edward explained. "We play rough. We talk rough. The people who work for me are used to it." I decided not to argue. Instead, I folded my arms across my chest and waited for Edward to continue. "You're right, though. I'll work on it while I'm at home. I'd also like to apologize for coming down on you so hard for not being here." Edward looked down. "Mrs. Waters told me you had everything in order this morning. The laundry was done on schedule. I wasn't thinking clearly in the heat of the moment… And of course you're allowed time off."

"Thank you." I nodded. "Did you find your lucky socks?"

"Right where Mrs. Waters told me they were." Edward looked sheepish. "I was just frustrated. I've apologized to her already."

"Good." I nodded. I noticed Edward's eyes had lowered to several inches below my chin, and I realized with embarrassment that the way I had folded my arms over my chest looked as though I was pushing up my breasts up for display in the tank top I was wearing. I fought the urge to hide my cleavage with my hand and lowered my arms to my sides instead. Edward blinked and turned his chin away quickly, sparing me embarrassment by pretending he hadn't noticed. I wasn't about to try to explain why I was dressed so casually. Alice had told me to be comfortable and that I didn't have a dress code. Like Edward could be one to criticize, anyway. _He_ was the one sitting on my bed with his starched white shirt open to the waist! I licked my lips and averted my eyes, as well.

"Anyway…" Edward cleared his throat quietly. "I just wanted to touch base with you about a few things before I leave."

"Such as?" I cocked my head as I looked up at him.

"I'd like you to keep your work phone with you at all times," he said, lowering his brows as he slipped into professional mode. "Alice was right. I _do_ like alone time when I'm home, but that doesn't mean you need to disappear. What I'm saying is that you shouldn't feel _obligated_ to leave the house. This is your home for the next few months, and it's a big enough place for all of us!"

"Okay," I shrugged.

"Still, anytime I have a game or an engagement, consider yourself on-call. There will be times when my schedule will change, and I'll need you to be okay with that. Ms. Spreckles was very flexible. Sometimes it's crazy around here."

"Fine." I gave him a slight nod. My salary was more than enough to cover that inconvenience.

"And… I know you're supposed to have the day off this Saturday, but Alice is putting together a picnic for some of my teammates before we fly out for Pittsburg. You can say no, but we'd really appreciate it if you'd join us."

"Oh! Um… Well…"

"It would mean a lot to Alice if you were there." Edward smiled. "My teammates are like family, and she thinks you should meet everyone since, you know, you're part of the home team now, too."

"Sure, Edward. I'll make sure I'm here," I replied, awkwardly accepting the invitation.

"Thanks." He smiled widely. The genuinely happy expression transformed his already gorgeous face into something that left me feeling somewhat dazed. I looked down and played with the hem of my shorts, feeling nervous.

"Um… If that's all?"

"Yeah." Edward finally stood. "Sorry again… about my temper… upstairs."

"Don't worry about it." I shook my head. "The only thing you have to worry about is going out there and beating those Brewsters tonight, all right?"

"Ms. Swan?"

"Yes?"

"It's _Brewers_. We're playing the _Brewers_."

"Oh. Sorry," I said, feeling my cheeks burn once more.

"Are you going to watch?"

"I'll try."

"Alice told me you haven't watched a game, yet."

"I will."

"When?"

"Tonight. Now, go!" With a huff, I actually grabbed Edward's arm and turned him in front of me, pushing him toward the door. Oh, my God. The man was built like a wall. I rubbed my hand on the back pocket of my shorts as though I could wipe away the feel of his firm, muscled shoulder from my palm. And as I snuck a look to see Edward exiting down the hall, I realized that the view from behind was almost as good as the front. Lord, help me. Maybe I should change into my swimsuit. A cool dip in the pool sounded more and more appealing by the second.

 ***~*~ Reviews are better than lucky socks. Leave one! ~*~***


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Having learned my lesson the night before, I made sure I was dressed in my pajamas before the game started. I even popped some popcorn to enjoy while I watched TV. This time, I left my laptop and phone downstairs, just to prevent Angela from interrupting with some new wedding task that could wait until morning. I wanted no interruptions.

I tried to convince myself that my interest was based on necessity. How could I go to a picnic this weekend and meet members of Edward's baseball team if I'd never even seen them play? But really, I knew that I just wanted a chance to watch Edward.

I sat with my popcorn in my lap, watching as the commentators announced the starting line-up. It was easy for me to see why—for anyone, really, who watched baseball on a regular basis—the name Cullen was obviously a well-known one.

"Cullen's off to a good start this season in the homerun race."

"With Cullen heading up the outfield, the Cards are looking good for seeing themselves play in the post-season again this year."

"Last year, Cullen was Mr. October."

"Let's see if the Brewers' starting pitcher can tame the Lion."

With all of the fame surrounding the Cullen name, it made me wonder why Alice hadn't changed hers. She seemed like a modern sort of girl. It wasn't all that uncommon for women to keep their maiden names. Maybe Alice really did want her business to have its own identity. Hey, at least she wouldn't have to worry about the paperwork involved with changing it back if she and Edward did get divorced.

My bitter thoughts surprised me, and I scowled. Jake was right. It wasn't my business if Alice was cheating on her husband. I was just… disappointed. I thought we could be friends, but she wasn't the kind of person I thought she was. I'd initially considered the two of us to be a lot alike, but I'd never do something like that! My mother had cheated on my father, and I saw the way it had wrecked him. Well, not _initially_. I was a baby. But he never remarried. I'd never even known him to date anyone! Clearly, he'd been wounded in a way he'd never recovered from. I hated the thought of Edward being hurt like that.

Thoughts of Alice and Edward's marriage problems left my mind once the game was underway. Now, I wasn't a complete idiot; I knew the basics of baseball—three strikes you're out and all that— but I hadn't watched a baseball game in years, and much of what played out on the screen seemed foreign to me. I don't think I ever noticed how physical the game was! Those men were like amazing machines! Running, sliding, jumping, throwing. I held my breath as I watched number thirteen as he stood out in the back part of the field. I'd mistakenly thought he'd be out of the action way out there, but boy, was I wrong. He seemed to be in nearly constant motion. At one point, when a ball was hit, Edward took off running with the speed of a gazelle, leapt in the air, and caught the ball with his outstretched glove just seconds before crashing like a downed giant to the grass below. I winced, thinking of how much that had to have hurt, but Edward quickly rolled to his feet and threw the ball back toward the dirt as though he were completely unaffected by the feat.

"That was a good catch!" I spoke out loud, as though anyone could hear me. A pinch of sadness came over me, causing me to frown, but I settled back in to get comfortable, choosing to stay focused on the game. After the teams traded places on the field, I watched nervously as Edward took his place to bat. Certainly after the diving catch he'd just made, he wouldn't be expected to hit the ball? But hit the ball he did! I chewed my lower lip as I watched his body coil back like a spring. Tense muscles released as he swung his arms and twisted his torso. With graceful force, he brought the bat around, connecting with the small white ball with a crack that was audible through the field mics, and then the crowd went crazy! The ball went back… back… back… all the way to the wall and then over it to bounce in the stands.

" _Homerun!_ " I hopped in my seat, clapping my hands frantically. In my excitement, my popcorn fell off my lap and scattered across the floor, but I didn't care. Edward had hit a home run!

I watched him run the bases. When he got back to home plate, Edward held his fist up in the air before pounding it victoriously against his chest and loping off toward his team.

I had to admit that it was fun to see Edward's homerun. The rest of the game would've seemed boring, though, if I hadn't been openly ogling the man who played centerfield. His white baseball pants fit him in a way that should be illegal. He scowled. He pulled his cap off his head to rake his fingers through his hair in irritation. He kicked the dirt. He spit. I could tell more than once, by reading his lips, that he was using some of that colorful language I'd heard earlier this afternoon when he'd been frustrated. Edward played hard. He contributed to the efforts of the defensive team to make sure the Brewers couldn't get on base, and it worked. The game finished with no additional scoring. The Cardinals won the game 1-0.

I woke and rubbed my eyes, looking at my bedside clock and groaning when I saw it was 2:00 in the morning. I'd been wired after the game, and it took me forever to fall asleep. Now I was wide awake and staring at the ceiling. With a sigh, I pulled back my covers and decided to go upstairs for some warm milk.

As I walked through the lower level, I noticed a strange sort of glow coming from the gym. Curiously, I rounded the corner to investigate which light I had inadvertently left on, and I jumped back with surprise when I nearly ran directly into Edward.

"Shit!" I yelped, putting my hand over my pounding heart.

"I knew you had it in ya," Edward said before chuckling, teasing me about the curse word that had sprung from my lips. "I hope I didn't wake you, Miss Swan. I got a little banged up during the game. Thought I'd sit in the Jacuzzi for a while."

"Are you just now getting home?" I asked, pushing my sleep tangled hair away from my face. "It's a little late, isn't it?"

"Me and some of the guys went out for a few drinks after the game," Edward explained. "Or five. Maybe six." He snorted and shook his head. "I usually don't drink much during a series, but I'll be benched tomorrow. The team doctor wants me to take a day off to let my arm rest."

"Did you hurt yourself when you dove for that ball?" I asked, remembering the way his body had bounced off the grass.

"You saw that?"

"About three times." I smiled. "They replayed it in slow motion."

"I'm impressed. You watched the game."

"I told you I would." I rolled my eyes. "When I say something, I mean it."

"I like that about you." Edward smiled and leaned with his shoulder against the wall. "You're very honest, aren't you?"

"I try to be," I hedged, immediately thinking of Alice and what I knew of her cheating on the man in front of me. "Well… I was just going to get some warm milk. Goodnight."

"Why don't you join me?" Edward asked.

"Pardon?"

"If you're having trouble getting back to sleep, the Jacuzzi will fix that. It's very relaxing."

"You seem relaxed enough for the both of us," I hinted, noting the way he was slightly on the verge of slurring.

"But _you_ don't. You look tense, and you're obviously having trouble sleeping. Starting a new job can be stressful. You need to make sure you give yourself time to relax from time to time, as well, or you'll burn out."

"Oh. I don't know…" I shook my head right away. "It's probably not a good idea."

"Why not, Miss Swan?" Edward asked, leaning toward me and speaking with a deep voice. "Do an injured man a favor and keep me company."

"Were you badly hurt?"

"Nah. I'm fine. Maybe a little sore. I just thought it'd be a good chance for us to sit down and try to get to know each other a little better."

Edward was right about us practically being strangers. His invitation was tempting. Still, I paused. He saw me hesitate and chuckled.

"Come on, Miss Swan. Go put on a bathing suit, and let's relax while we talk!"

"What about Alice?" I asked before thinking. I bit my lip, sorry I'd even voiced my concern out loud, but I was pretty sure I wouldn't like finding _my_ husband "relaxing" in the hot tub with some other woman in the middle of the night, no matter how innocent the situation may be.

"Alice won't be home tonight. She's working overtime to finish a job." Edward shrugged. "And she's been nagging me to make time out of my schedule for us to sit down and chat. I mean, you _are_ living in my house, and I feel I know very little about you. I'm not really used to checking in with her, but I guess I could call her…"

"No. Don't do that." I shook my head. If Alice wasn't planning to be home tonight, God only knows what a call from Edward might interrupt. I sincerely doubted she was really working. "I'll be right back."

Talk. Sure. We were going to sit down and talk. In hot water. Together. In swim clothes. Practically naked. Sounded completely professional, right? I groaned, wondering what in the hell I was thinking getting myself into this awkward situation. In my head, I heard the suggestion Jake had made before. What if Edward and Alice were in some sort of open relationship? I closed my eyes and shook my head, instantly refusing to entertain the notion. No. Edward had suggested we talk; that's all. And he had been right; I _was_ having trouble sleeping.

I nearly changed my mind when I walked back to the gym and saw Edward relaxing in the hot tub. His arms were stretched out on either side of him, draped along the edge of the Jacuzzi. That chest I'd received a teasing glimpse of earlier? Gloriously bare. Thankfully, the water level was high enough to prevent me from staring too inappropriately. Still, Edward had his head back and his eyes closed, looking like some perfect sea god that was rising from the deep. I took advantage of him having his eyes closed to pause and take in the whole picture. He was, without a doubt, the most perfect-looking man I'd ever seen on page or screen—certainly the most gorgeous person I'd ever known in real life. I licked my lips and briefly considered running back to my room.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you getting in?" Edward asked, startling me.

"You looked like you were sleeping." I made an excuse for staring.

"I didn't drink enough to make me pass out in the hot tub." Edward chuckled. "But probably more than I should have. What are you waiting for?"

I sighed and took off my robe, laying it across the bench of a rowing machine before walking back toward the Jacuzzi. Gingerly, I made my way down the steps. Edward was making me nervous, watching me as I moved. My swimsuit was modestly cut, but I almost felt naked under his gaze.

"You're staring," I grumbled, frowning at my own hypocrisy while lowering myself into the water.

"So I am. Do I make you nervous?"

"Are you trying to?" I narrowed my eyes as I looked at him. Edward laughed.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be rude. You look lovely in blue. It's a good color on you."

I self-consciously lowered my body into the water until the bubbles touched my chin.

"You shouldn't say things like that," I mumbled.

"Like what?"

"That I look good in a color or whatever," I huffed.

"Why not? You told your friends you think I'm gorgeous!"

I felt my cheeks redden and instantly regretted that I allowed him to talk me into this mess.

"That was before I knew you!" I scowled, making Edward tip his head back to laugh.

"Relax, Ms. Swan." He sat up a little. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I'm simply making an observation. You're a very attractive woman, but I understand it's probably inappropriate for me to point that out since you work for me."

 _And you're married!_ my mind shouted.

I moved my body so I could sit on the seat in the corner of the tub, opposite Edward, and straightened my shoulders.

"Do you think… under such informal circumstances… you could call me Bella?"

"If that's what you prefer," he agreed. "So, _Bella_ … What else would you like to know about me, other than the fact I like the color blue?"

"Blue? But you wear red… How long have you been playing baseball?" I jumped into a safe territory.

"Since I was ten," Edward replied, pulling up one shoulder. "I was born in Chicago, but when Mom met Doc Cullen, we moved to Washington. So that's something we have in common, right? We were both born in Illinois! Anyway, Doc coached a little league team, The La Push Lions. I learned to play ball with those kids."

"The La Push Lions?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. "Does that have anything to do with your nickname?"

"It _does._ " Edward smiled. "I got this tattoo in college, just as a sort of reminder of where it all started." He twisted his body away from me so I could see the black ink on the back of his shoulder that depicted a roaring jungle cat.

"Mrs. Waters told me that people call you that because of your hair."

"I'm sure that has something to do with it." Edward looked bashful.

"When did you decide to play professionally?"

"I was on my high school team and got invited to play in college, but I didn't make good enough grades to hang on to my scholarship for more than one season. So I tried out for an independent league and worked my way through the minors for a few years until a scout for the Mariners found me and pulled me up to the Big Show. The Cardinals offered me a deal last year that was too good to pass up, so now I'm here."

"You make it sound very simple."

"It wasn't." He shook his head. "It took years of hard work. My entire family's given up so much to get me here. The schedule, as you're just beginning to see, is brutal. I'm twenty-eight now, and I need to make as strong a career as I can _while_ I can. I need to be able to support my family. Otherwise, all of the sacrifices we've all made would've been for nothing. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." I shrugged.

"You said you haven't watched a ballgame in years. St. Louis is like the baseball city of the Midwest. How is it possible you've completely avoided the sport?"

"I haven't _avoided_ it." I shook my head. "My Dad… He used to watch baseball all the time. He loved it, and we even went to a few games together, but after he died… I don't know. I guess it didn't seem like much fun to watch without him."

"What happened to your father?" Edward frowned.

"Cancer." I sighed.

"I'm sorry."

"He passed away almost seven years ago now." I smiled sadly. "It's okay. I mean, I'll always miss him, but it gets easier with time, I suppose."

"So tonight was the first time you've watched a game without him?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "And it was fine. I was fine."

"And what did _you_ think of the game?"

"It was more physical than I remembered." I winced. "But when you hit the ground, you looked like it didn't hurt at all."

"Knocked the air out of me," Edward admitted. "But you can't let them see you look weak. My arm's killing me."

"Can I get you anything?" I asked. "I have some ibuprofen in my room…"

"You can do me a favor," Edward suggested instead. "Rub my shoulder for me?"

Without waiting for me to agree, Edward moved toward me in the water and spun, situating himself to sit on the edge of the seat between my legs. "It's my left shoulder. Just… help me out, would ya?"

"O–okay," I stuttered. I was surprised by his sudden movement, caught off-guard by his request, and my cheeks burned when I realized my thighs were nestled quite firmly on either side of his trim hips. With shaking hands, I began to rub at Edward's sore shoulder. My fingers slid over his skin, faltering when he let out a deep and husky groan that made my body tingle in ways it shouldn't.

"Don't stop," Edward insisted. "You have a much lighter touch than Seth."

"Seth?"

"Our team therapist. Keep going. That feels great."

 _Too great,_ I thought, shifting my rear end as far back in the seat as it would go. I needed to put some space between us. Edward was my boss, and I clearly hadn't been on a date in way too long if just the sound of his satisfied groan could make my body react like it was. Damn the man for being so sexy and my body for being so hyperaware!

"Tell me more about _you_ ," Edward murmured, letting his head fall forward so I could rub the muscles where his neck and shoulder met.

"What would you like to know?"

"Tell me more about your family." Edward shrugged beneath my hands.

"You met them," I said lightly. "My friends? _They_ are my family."

"The people on the roof?"

"Yep." I nodded. "We all met in college. Angela's my roommate. She's engaged to Ben, and they're going to get married in September. They're looking for a house to move into. And then there's Jake—"

"What about your mother?" Edward switched gears.

"I don't really know the lady," I said. "She cheated on my father, and they got a divorce. She moved with her boyfriend to Arizona, and they eventually got married. Now they're living in Florida I usually get a letter from her in a Christmas card."

"No kidding?" Edward asked, turning slightly to look over his shoulder. The motion brought his face much too close to mine, and I patted his shoulder to get him to move.  
"All done," I told him. Not only was I done giving him a massage, but I was done with the conversation. I didn't like talking about my mother, and the subject of a cheating spouse was hitting a little too close to home, as well. He took the hint and returned to his side of the tub.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable."

"You didn't," I lied, shaking my head. "But you're right. The Jacuzzi did the trick. I think I'll sleep like a baby now." Yet another lie. "Are you getting out, too?"

"In a while." Edward sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his head back once again. "You sleep well, Ms. Swan. Thanks for the massage. Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight," I mumbled, awkwardly climbing out of the hot tub. I felt guilty knowing that massage would likely be the basis of many of my sweet dreams to come.

 ***~*~ Reviews are better than sweet dreams. Leave one! ~*~***


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Many thanks to the fabulous Miss Iris for being a bad-ass beta and getting this thing worked out, even when she's busy as heck! Check out the Falling into Autumn contest! Happy Birthday goes out to Cejsmomwatson who is running the Bratty-Vamp fanfic facebook page. And another Happy Birthday to my pretty, preppy, pre-reader who is destined to be my other-half whether she likes it or not- Pamela Lorraine.**

CHAPTER 7

It had been easy to avoid Alice in the following days. I was very busy with work, and Alice was gone most of the time doing God knows what. But on Saturday, she needed my help getting things ready for her backyard barbeque party. I bucked up and decided to treat it like another work day, pitching in while keeping a polite distance.

"Is something wrong?" Alice asked, looking at me over the table as she tried to smooth out the wrinkles in the tablecloth she'd just laid out.

"Hmm?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

"You're really quiet today." Alice squinted her eyes and looked as though she could see right through me. I nervously shifted my feet.

"I'm just thinking about Angela's wedding and everything…"

"Ahh!" At that, Alice's face took on a dreamy sort of expression. "It's fun, isn't it? Exciting! Don't you just love weddings?"

"I guess." I shrugged.

Edward came outside just then, holding a box of napkin rings Alice had sent him to fetch. He and Alice had been bickering all morning, making me feel even more uncomfortable than I already did around the two of them. I had almost instantly regretted accepting Edward's invitation to this backyard soiree. In fact, I even worked out an exit strategy with Angela just to get me out of the whole mess. I expected her call about a "wedding dress emergency" at promptly 3:30 that afternoon.

"I can't believe you're going to all of this trouble," Edward mumbled, dropping the box he held onto the middle of the table Alice was trying to set. "It's ostentatious. This isn't _us_ , Ally."

"Well, _I_ like it." Alice shrugged, frowning at him. "And stop trying to use big words. You'll give yourself a headache."

"What do you think, Bella?" Edward asked. I frowned, not wanting to be pulled into their spat.

"About what?"

"Napkin things!" Edward slapped the box with the back of his knuckles. "And fancy silverware. All of _this_!"

"It's, uh, pretty?" I suggested, looking at the glass vase of fresh flowers Alice was currently fussing over.

"See, Edward?" Alice rolled her eyes. " _His_ problem," Alice spoke to me, "is that he's a big ol' slob who thinks every picnic should involve red plastic cups and beer coolers!"

"I might be a slob, but _you're_ a little snob!" Edward threw back. That was it. They'd elevated to name-calling. I was done.

"I… need to go get dressed," I excused myself. "I'll be back out soon. Okay?"

"Guests will arrive at 2:00!" Alice chirped, fluttering around the table as though totally unaffected by the entire situation.

Not particularly anxious to jump back in the middle of Alice and Edward's arguing, I spent more time than usual getting ready for the picnic. Though, I really could see where Edward was coming from earlier. Any backyard barbeque I'd ever been to before had been a casual affair. Alice seemed to have gone all out. I wasn't quite sure what I should even wear. Finally deciding on a simple sundress and sandals, I twisted my hair back into a loose ponytail and went upstairs to join the party.

"I was just coming to look for you," Edward called out when found me passing through the kitchen.

"Am I late?"

"Nah." Edward shrugged his strong shoulders beneath the soft-looking t-shirt that covered them. He'd chosen to dress comfortably in long shorts and flip-flops. "A few of the guys got here early. You look really nice, Ms. Swan."

"I wasn't sure what to wear…" I self-consciously twisted my ponytail to rest it over my shoulder.

"Nothing to worry about," Edward insisted. "Hey… I don't want you to feel nervous around these people, all right? I mean, they're all big names on the team, but they're just regular guys, like me."

"I'm not the type to get star-struck, Edward."

"Okay. It's just… you seemed a little… _off_ earlier."

"I just have a lot on my mind," I replied truthfully. "I'm looking forward to meeting your friends."

"Good, because they're all going to love you!" Alice interrupted, walking inside to join us.

"We might have to beat a couple of them off with a stick." Edward grumbled under his breath. "Don't let Edward scare you." Alice swatted at his arm. "These boys are notorious flirts, but not

all of them are the womanizing dirtbags they have the reputations to be!"

I might've believed her if I hadn't been introduced to the womanizing dirtbag- deluxe just a few short seconds later.

"Ooh, look! Jasper's here!" Alice hopped a little before grabbing my hand to pull me outside. "I can't wait for you to meet him!"

Edward walked behind us while Alice practically dragged me across the patio to meet one of their guests who'd just arrived. He faced away from me, speaking to another gentleman, but I recognized the back of his long, curly blond head immediately. This was the same man I'd seen Alice kissing! Shocked and dismayed, I tried to compose my features as he turned to look at me.

"Bella? This is Jasper Hale, one of Edward's best friends and shortstop for the team." Alice smiled while she introduced the handsome man who grinned as he turned and reached forward to shake my hand. I put my numb fingers in his grasp for a moment, returning his greeting while struggling to keep the embarrassment I felt from showing on my face. Jasper's blue eyes sparkled and crinkled near the corners as he smiled widely.

"I'm real glad to meet you," Jasper said with a slight southern accent. "Ally's gone on and on about the great Bella Swan who's helping them out so much! It sure is a privilege, ma'am!"

I didn't even know how to respond to that. I simply nodded and dropped his hand as though it had been doused in acid. How could such a deceitful asshole seem, on the surface, so sweet and polite? Alice had introduced him as one Edward's best friends! He was like a big ball of evil wrapped up in a very pretty package. I felt sick to my stomach.

"This is Matt and his wife, Mackenzie," Edward said, keeping the introductions rolling and giving me an opportunity to focus my attention elsewhere.

"Very nice to meet you." I smiled, trying to recover for my initial awkwardness.

"Hi!"

It was a very nice group of people invited to attend the picnic Alice had put together. Most of the men had girlfriends or wives with them. A couple even brought along their children. Not one of them seemed pretentious or stuffy as some might expect them to be, and Edward kept me with him during the get together, seemingly focused on making me feel comfortable in a group of strangers. He never once made me feel as though I were simply a member of his staff; I felt like a friend.

If I had worried I wouldn't fit in, my mind was put to ease by the relaxed atmosphere and the truly considerate man beside me. And I had to admit that Alice's efforts seemed well placed in this setting; not too pompous, not too casual. Aside from the fact I knew about Alice and Edward's shortstop having a secret affair, I might've actually had a really nice time.

"Hey, y'all! Grab your seats! The food's ready!" Jasper yelled. I looked over my shoulder to see Alice holding a platter for him while he took meat off the grill. Everyone else moved to sit at the long table that had been set for their meal.

"I'm going inside to get a fresh pitcher of iced tea," I told Edward. "Do we need anything else?"

"We could ask Mrs. Waters to bring it out," Edward suggested.

"That's okay. The girls inside have their hands full. I don't mind." I smiled. "I'll be right back!"

I checked in with the women in the kitchen who were uncovering side dishes to take out to the table. As I predicted, they were quite busy and appreciated the extra hand in carrying drinks. I was very pleased to see them working together like a well-oiled machine. I was just ready to head back outside when a commotion behind me caused me to spin toward the sound.

A tall red-headed woman in a white pantsuit stood in the kitchen, shrieking at one of the kitchen staff.

"Watch where you're going!" The woman curled her red-lacquered lips with distaste. "You almost got food all over me! These pants cost more than your _life_!"

"Hey now…" I walked over to the scene and placed the pitcher of tea I was carrying down on the counter. "What's going on?"

"This idiot almost knocked me over!" The red-headed woman continued her tirade.

"There's no need to call anyone names." I stood up for the poor girl who clutched the bowl of potato salad in her arms as though her life depended on it. "Sarah? Take that outside, okay?" She nodded and rushed to do as I asked. "See?" I glanced up and down the woman's pristine clothing. "No harm done."

"No harm done, my _ass_." The woman narrowed her eyes on me. "Until Edward fires your little friend for being incompetent. If I were you, honey, I'd get back to work, or your job will be on the line, too!" Then the woman pushed past me on her way to exit through the patio doors. I kind of wished I still held the pitcher of iced tea so I could've "accidentally" spilled it over her head! What kind of dumbass wears a white pantsuit to a barbeque anyway?

"I hoped she wouldn't be here today," Mrs. Waters muttered beside me, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel.

"Who is she?" I asked, taking a moment to compose myself. I was so angry that my hands were practically shaking.

"One of the team's publicists," Mrs. Waters replied. "Nasty woman. Very rude. I don't like her."

"Well, when Sarah comes back in, please let her know she's not in any sort of trouble," I instructed. "I'll speak to Edward about it later."

"Thank you, Ms. Swan." Mrs. Waters smiled as I picked up the pitcher of tea and went to rejoin the party.

I frowned when I got back outside and saw the red-headed woman seated beside Edward. They were turned to each other, speaking, but Edward looked up when I placed the tea on the table and indicated I should sit in the chair to his right. Alice was sitting directly across from Edward at the table, and Jasper took the seat in front of me. I ignored him but carefully watched Alice, curious to see what her reaction was to the redhead who possessively laid her hand over Edward's arm as they talked. I couldn't help but notice she was frowning as she looked at the pair.

"Victoria? I don't think you've met my new right-hand person around here. This is Isabella Swan," Edward introduced. I tried to force a small smile on my face so as not to seem rude as I looked over at her.

"Oh, my God, Eddie!" The redhead spoke in a high-pitched, girlie sort of voice. "You told me you were hiring a new housekeeper! I didn't know you'd already found someone!"

"Household _Manager._ " Alice made the correction while narrowing her eyes.

The woman reached across Edward and put her fingers out, as though she expected me to shake her hand. I reached for the iced tea to pour a glass instead.

"We've already met." I smiled coolly. "In the kitchen just now. Victoria was remarking about how good the potato salad looks!" I raised my eyebrow at the woman. She might've been fooling Edward, but I wouldn't let her off the hook for her rudeness inside.

"Vickie eats potato salad?" Alice snorted a little and offered a smile that looked as fake as mine felt. If I could judge by the look on her face, she wasn't fond of the woman, either. "I thought you were on the Diet Coke and cigarettes diet."

"Not all of us are blessed with your petite frame." Victoria sniffed a little. "Some of us have to work at it!"

"Well, pass it over this way, then!" Alice grinned. "I'm trying to put on a few pounds!"

I made sure to serve myself a large scoop of the creamy yellow salad before passing the bowl across the table. For the moment, at least, Alice and I seemed to be on the same page. Everyone took that cue to start filling their own plates. Awkward moment aside, light-hearted conversation filled the table once more, and I thoroughly enjoyed digging into my food while I watched Victoria push lettuce around on her plate.

"I like a girl with a healthy appetite." Edward winked over at me, licking a bit of barbeque sauce from the end of his thumb. Good thing for him, since Alice seemed content to eat half her body weight in the meat Jasper had prepared. I couldn't deny that the shortstop's time spent in Texas had made the man a master at the grill. All of the food was delicious!

When the table was cleared, I wasn't sure how I'd manage to eat even one bite of the fresh pies that were cooling on the counter inside. I'd probably eaten more than I should have just to show Victoria that I _could_. I couldn't help myself. I didn't like the woman. I didn't like the way she'd yelled at Sarah and talked down to me inside the house, I didn't like the way she dominated conversation with Edward, and I didn't like her stupid red lip gloss. In a very weird way, though, I was sort of thankful she'd come to the party. For a short time, I'd been able to focus my irritation at her instead of worrying about Alice and Edward's relationship.

All good things, however, must end.

"Well," Alice said, clearing her throat. "I'd like to take a minute to thank you all for coming to our party today."

"The host wants to speak!" Someone tapped their glass with the side of a knife. "Speech! Speech!"

"Not me!" Alice giggled. "Jasper?"

"All right." The man beside her stood from his seat. I glanced over at Edward who seemed to be staring a hole through the table in front of him. "Though I don't know how much of a speech it'll be," Jasper said, looking flushed in the face. He looked down at Alice who was smiling beside him. "And I'm sure that this won't come as much of a surprise to many of you…"

"You've finally been traded!" someone jokingly inserted, making others at the table laugh. "You're getting slow, old man!"

"Shut the hell up." Jasper wadded up a cloth napkin and threw it at the man who teased him. "Who has more stolen bases, huh?"

"Are you going to tell us what's going on?" someone asked.

"Yeah! What's the big news you promised?"

"As many of you know, Ally's been working over at my place day in and day out to get the house finished for me," Jasper continued.

So _that_ was the project Alice had been working on nearly non-stop?

"Her work's going to be featured in an upcoming photoshoot for an issue of _Elle Décor_! Did I get that name right, darlin'?" he asked Alice, who nodded. Guests at the table offered congratulations and lifted their glasses in her direction.

"Excuse me," Edward said, surprising me by suddenly rising in his seat. "I need to go check on the dessert. Bella? Would you mind helping me?"

Jasper's smile faltered a little, and I looked around at the faces of the other guests as Edward strode away from the table. Most of the partygoers looked back and forth between each other, raising their eyebrows in question, apparently confused by Edward's sudden departure. I felt red creeping into my cheeks. It was rude of Edward to leave the table in the middle of a speech, and apparently, I was expected to follow him!

"I'm sorry…" I sputtered, getting up from my seat to hurry inside.

"Edward?" I asked, cringing as I stepped through the kitchen doors just in time to see Edward slam a stack of dessert plates down onto the countertop with enough force I thought he might break them all into pieces.

"Of all of the stupid, careless… Where are the fucking dessert forks?" Edward bellowed, looking up at me.

"Are you mad at _me_ or the _cutlery_?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest. I walked across the room and opened a drawer to show him the items he was searching for.

"I'm sorry," Edward muttered, taking a step back to lean against the counter. "I didn't mean to raise my voice at you." He pushed his hands into his hair and closed his eyes. "I just can't take another second of those two _rubbing_ their relationship in my face! Alice _knows_ how I feel about all of this! But they have to choose _today_ to—"

"Wait." I pushed my palm out in Edward's direction to stop his speech. So he _knew_ about Alice and Jasper? I'd been critically watching them all day, and I really hadn't thought they were being very obvious.

"Don't tell me you didn't notice!" Edward scoffed, mistaking my silence for ignorance. "Anyone with _eyes_ can see what's going on! Not that I have any say in the matter. Alice refuses to listen to me. We've been fighting about it for months!"

"Whoa," I breathed, dropping my head.

"It's clear she's made her choice. Now we all just have to deal with the consequences!"

"I don't even know what to say." I shook my head. "Edward? I'm really sorry. If there's anything I can do…"

"You can start by answering your phone. That buzzing's making me nuts."

I'd been so wrapped up in what was happening that I hadn't even noticed my phone was vibrating like crazy in the pocket of my skirt. Angela. 3:30. I felt horribly guilty for the interruption but extremely thankful for it at the same time.

"Hello?" I asked into the receiver.

"Bells? I need help! I don't know what to do!" Angela wailed into the phone, loud enough for anyone in polite distance to be able to hear her.

"What's going on?" I sighed. Edward looked at me for a moment and then went back to his task.

"My dress fitting is all wrong! I need you here!"

"Wedding emergency?" Edward suggested, saving me from having to lie myself. "Do you need to leave?"

"I think I should," I crinkled my nose. "Ang? Stop crying. I'll be there as soon as I can." I pushed a button on the phone to end the call and dropped it back into my pocket. "I'm sorry, Edward. This is a bad time—"

"Did I hear you say you were leaving?" Victoria walked into the room then. I tried very hard not to roll my eyes at her when she walked up beside Edward and wrapped her hand around his forearm. "I thought I'd come in to see if you have any champagne."

"There are a couple of bottles in the ice box," Edward told her, sighing. "Glasses are over here…"

"You can go now," Victoria dismissed me. "I'll help Eddie out."

Oooh. I'd bet she'd just _love_ to "help Eddie out"!

Edward seemed lost in his own thoughts as he retrieved the requested stemware. I decided that maybe it was best if I _did_ leave. It wasn't like I was needed. Only Edward could provide damage control here. His guests had to be pretty confused about what was going on. Though, if Alice and Jasper had been as obvious as Edward claimed, maybe quite a few people outside already suspected there was trouble in the Cullen household. One way or the other, he and Alice had a lot to work out. I wouldn't be able to help either of them with that. The best thing I could do was lay low and give them some space.

And so I decided to leave, to walk away from a _new_ friend who had a very _real_ problem in order to pretend to help an _old_ friend with a _fake_ problem… all while trying desperately not to consider the whole slew of _other_ problems that were likely heading _my_ way!

 **~*~* Reviews are better than a big ol' scoop of potato salad. Leave one! (I just might share my favorites on facebook!) *~*~**


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

I tried to convince myself I was being considerate, but it was really cowardice that kept me at my old apartment until midnight. I was just glad Angela hadn't been home. I really didn't feel like talking about everything that had gone on. I wanted a place to hide out for a while, and I hoped to get back to the Cullen estate long after Edward and Alice had a chance to talk or fight or make-up or break-up… Whatever they needed to do. I had no idea what the hell was going on with those two. I only knew I didn't want to be around for it.

I drove into the garage as quietly as my old truck would allow and snuck downstairs to my room. Then I tried to read for a while, but my body was wired. Despite the late hour, I was practically shaking with pent-up energy. Since the night was still warm and humid, I decided to put on my swimsuit and release some of my stress by swimming laps in the pool. Under the starry sky, I swam back and forth until I felt my muscles begin to tire. Once I surfaced to get some air, I was startled by the sound of Edward's voice.

"You're a great swimmer."

"Give me a heart attack, why don't you?" I splashed some water toward Edward, who sat on the side of the pool with his legs dangling in the water. "When did you get here?"

"Just now." Edward shrugged. "I planned to sit outside for a while, but I saw you over here, so…"

"So you decided to _watch_ me?" I asked. "That's a little creepy."

"I think I like watching you swim. It's sort of fascinating."

"You're weird." I rolled my eyes.

"How'd you get so good?"

"I used to work as a lifeguard at the city pool every summer before Dad got sick."

"Ahh."

"I hope I didn't wake you. Or Alice…"

"Alice isn't here." Edward shrugged. "And I was already awake. I thought maybe we could talk."

"Why is it that our little chats always involve water?" I smirked. "One of these days, we'll have to have a discussion while fully-clothed."

"Not tonight." Edward chuckled. "But I _am_ feeling overdressed. Mind if I join you?"

"It's your pool." I shrugged. I expected Edward to go inside to change, but he stood and began undressing in front of me instead.

"What are you doing?" My voice squeaked as I turned away and covered my eyes.

"I'm getting in the water." Edward laughed behind me. "Don't worry. I'll keep my boxers on. Your modesty's safe with me."

"Good to know," I grumbled. When I heard the light splash of Edward diving into the water, I turned and swam to the side of the pool so I could pull my body up to rest my elbows on the ledge. With my cheek resting on my folded arms, I looked at Edward who had swum up beside me and adopted the same pose.

"Rough day, huh?"

"I've had worse." Edward shrugged one shoulder. The moonlight on his wet skin made him look like he was covered with diamond dust. I swallowed hard and reminded myself for the thousandth time not to be caught ogling my boss. I couldn't help it, though. The man was absolutely beautiful. And in this setting? He seemed relaxed, at peace. Edward must've been a master at hiding his emotions. He'd been far more upset about losing a game than he was about losing Alice.

"I don't know how you can be so calm right now," I mumbled.

"I seem calm?" Edward asked, raising his eyebrows. "I assure you I'm not. I'm worried about all of the changes that are going to happen around here and how they might affect you. I'm waiting for you to decide it's too much, that you'll leave."

"Me?" I asked. " _I_ should be the last of your concerns. I won't leave, Edward, not as long as you need me here."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." I nodded. Not only did the job pay well, but I was beginning to feel very protective of Edward. I'd feel horrible if I ditched him in his time of need. "I'm no quitter, so don't worry about me, okay?"

"I can't help myself." Edward smiled softly. He turned his body then and raised one hand toward my face. "I'm not easy to live with. I can be a real jerk sometimes. But I really can't do all of this on my own." My breath caught in my throat as he gently moved a strand of my wet hair away from my cheek.

I nervously turned and swam to the opposite side of the pool. "I saw the nasty side of your temper when you couldn't find your lucky socks, remember? I'm not afraid of you."

"You really shouldn't have said that." Edward chuckled and then dove under the water to swim in my direction. I rolled my eyes. There I was, trying to get the man to open up about his feelings, but he wanted to play in the pool instead! He came up, creating a spray as he shook his head from side to side like a dog. I laughed lightly and slapped more water in his direction.

"Can we be serious for a minute here?" I asked, trying to sound stern.

"Always so serious." Edward frowned, though his eyes kept a teasing twinkle. "First, I just want to try one thing. Don't move…" Edward reached forward and cupped my face. Ever so lightly, he let his thumbs push the corners of my mouth up into the semblance of a smile. "There. _So_ much better!"

"Stop it." I scowled and pulled my face away. I was trying to be sincere, and while I knew he was just being playful, I couldn't think straight when he kept touching me. Innocent or not, the feel of his fingers on my skin was beginning to make my head spin. "I don't understand you!"

"What's to understand?" Edward shrugged, dropping his arms.

"How can you seem like you're in such a good mood right now?" I asked honestly.

"Why not? I mean, I'm having a midnight swim with a pretty girl. You just said you don't plan to leave, so obviously I'm relieved about that. I thought we were having fun." Edward tilted his head to the side a little and smiled, looking as confused as I felt. Was he in total denial? Maybe he needed me to be more specific.

"Edward? I think we need to talk about your wife."

"Why?"

"It's an important issue. I mean, did you two get a chance to talk after the barbeque?"

"About what?"

"About Alice and Jasper!" _There_. I said it.

"What in the hell does that have to do with _Lauren_?" Edward huffed, raking his hand through his hair and making it stand up on end. "Woman? You're confusing the shit out of me right now."

"Who's Lauren?" I asked, feeling as confused as Edward claimed to be.

"My _wife!"_ Edward sounded exasperated. "Well, my _ex_ -wife, to be specific. What does any of this have to do with her?"

"Whoa!" I walked backward until I felt the pool stairs touch my ankles and then took a few steps up to sit. Placing my face in my hands, I shook my head.

"Christ. I was afraid of this," Edward said, sitting beside me. He ran his palm up and down the center of my back. For once, I welcomed his touch and didn't try to pull away from the gesture. "My family's a mess. I know it. And I thought I could count on my own sister to be here helping you, but she's been so busy with fixing up Jasper's place for that damned magazine article. It's too much to handle, isn't it?"

Wait. What? Did Edward just say...?

Behind my closed eyes, things finally started clicking into place. Had I ever seen Alice and Edward be romantically affectionate with each other? They bickered _constantly_ and had different last names! I started laughing uncontrollably, but after a moment, my laughter turned to frustrated tears.

"Are you having some sort of a breakdown?" Edward asked, sounding worried.

"All this time…" I sniffed, wiping at my cheeks. "I've been worried about _you_ having a breakdown!"

"You haven't changed your mind, have you?" Edward asked.

"No." I shook my head and looked up at him. The genuine concern on his face made me laugh through my tears. "I'm okay. I'm just the world's biggest idiot."

"Come again?" He raised one eyebrow. "I don't think you're an idiot, Bella. If I did, I wouldn't trust you working for me."

"That's right." I nodded. "I work for _you_ , but I don't work for _Alice_ , do I?"

"Uh… no." Edward frowned. "It's _my_ house, my staff…"

"Oh, my God!" I yelled then, shoving away from him to stand. "I thought you two were _married!"_

"The _fuck_?" Edward looked shocked for a minute before he started laughing—deep, belly laughing. Holding his sides and tipping sideways into the water laughing. My humiliation was complete. "Oh, shit! Oh, shit!" Edward sputtered. "No wonder you were so freaked out!"

"You can stop anytime," I mumbled, wiping at my burning cheeks.

"Alice is my _sister_!"

"You think either of you could've mentioned that before now?"

"I didn't think we _had_ to!" Edward chuckled. "Ahh, hell! This is the funniest thing I've ever heard!" Edward was wiping at his eyes now, too, and I clenched my hands angrily. It was too much. Just as I turned to stomp up the steps, Edward grabbed one of my shoulders and tugged me backward. We both fell in the water, me against his chest. I came up, sputtering for air and trying to push my hair away from my face.

"What did you do that for?" I spun to face him.

"Because you're not running away from this, not right now. I'm sorry for laughing at you, but I think a conversation is long overdue."

"You can't blame me for not knowing!" I folded my arms across my chest and glared at him. "What was I supposed to think? _Alice_ was the one who hired me."

"Yes. She came from Washington to help me out this summer. I bought this place at the end of last season, and it's like living in a cave. Hell, I didn't even want a place so big, but it's easier to have some privacy in a gated community. Alice promised she'd get it furnished and livable, but then she started dating Jasper and working over at his place—"

"So all of this arguing between the two of you has really just been because you're pissed she's been working on Jasper's house instead of yours?"

"No. It's because they haven't known each other very long and they're already talking about marriage! He proposed to her the other night. They dropped _that_ news during the barbeque today. Oh, but you were gone by then. You probably missed it."

"Why would that upset you? I thought Jasper was one of your best friends."

"He is, but Alice is too young. I got married young, and I know how hard that can be. Jasper's a really good guy, but I just wish they'd wait a while."

"I feel like such a fool," I groaned.

"There's no reason for you to feel that way. I feel like _I_ need to apologize to _you_. I'm not used to being around someone who doesn't know all the details of my life that have been printed in magazine and newspaper articles."

"It's not like I have a subscription to _Sports Illustrated_." I rolled my eyes.

"I think the thing that worries me most is what you must think of _me_."

"What do you mean?"

"Just today, Alice told you that not all baseball players are womanizing assholes, but what does that say about me as a person if you think I'd be the type of man who would be married and still flirt with another woman?"

"You were... wait. _What_?"

"I may be out of practice, but I thought that was what I had been doing."

"With… who?"

 _"_ With _you!_ That's who!" Edward pulled at his hair again and chuckled. This time, he was the one who looked embarrassed. "I'm swimming in my underwear… in the dark... with _you_. I thought it was pretty obvious!"

"Oh, my God," I groaned again, covering my face with my hands.

"Don't do that," Edward told me, moving to pull at my wrists. "You keep covering your face. I like to see you."

"I didn't know you were flirting with me! I thought you were just being… nice."

"Nice?"

"Well, maybe a _little_ strange," I admitted. "The hot tub?"

"A failed attempt at flirting." Edward looked shame-faced. "Not my finest hour."

"How could I have known?" I asked. "I mean, I thought you were _married_ , and I gave you credit for that! And… you're my boss. So there's that, too!"

"Yes." Edward frowned, releasing my wrists. "There _is_ that." He took a step back and frowned.

"I think… I need to get out of the water," I said, rubbing at the goosebumps on my arms. Despite the warm air, I felt chilled. I was on the verge of shaking. My nerves were jumping beneath my skin, and my mind was in a whirlwind of everything I'd just been given to process. Edward wasn't married… and he'd been flirting with me? I couldn't even begin to consider it all.

I hurried and grabbed my towel, wrapping it around my waist as I walked away from the pool. I turned near the door to see Edward pulling his t-shirt over his head.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled. "It's late. And don't you have a flight that leaves in the morning?"

"No. That's fine." He nodded. "It _is_ really late. My flight leaves in about five hours. Maybe we'll have to continue this conversation when I get home."

"That's probably a good idea." I tried to smile. "So… next Sunday?"

"You have my schedule memorized?" Edward tilted his head.

"Isn't that what you pay me for?"

"Indeed it is. Well, yes. We'll talk more on Sunday. Good night, Miss Swan."

"Good night, Edward."

 ***~*~Reviews are better than a midnight swim. Leave one. I like sharing my favorites on facebook! Even though I can't respond to each and every one of you like I wish I could, I DO read every single review and appreciate them more than you know!~*~***

 **Special shout out to Iris, again, for being my wonderful Beta-deluxe and the keeper of all Autumn goodness. And to Pamela Lorraine for not only pre-reading _this_ , but for helping me brainstorm my next project. **


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

The following morning was so busy that I didn't even notice Alice had returned to the house until I saw her around noon, lugging a suitcase down the stairs. As soon as she placed it by the door, I wrapped the petite woman in a crushing hug. For days and days, I'd been avoiding the girl, distancing myself because I believed she was cheating on her husband. I was hugely relieved to have learned she was actually the awesome person I first considered her to be.

"I didn't get a chance to say congratulations at the party yesterday," I mumbled into her shoulder before pulling away. "I'm so sorry!" I was really apologizing for so much more than she knew.

"Oh, that's okay." Alice fluffed her hair. "It was kinda crazy. Edward said your friend was having some sort of issue with her wedding plans?"

"Angela called when I was in the house..." I didn't want to lie any more than I needed to.

"You didn't miss a lot." Alice frowned. "Edward was being an ass, but what else is new?"

"He's just worried about you."

"It's not like I'm stupid enough to make the same mistakes he did!" Alice huffed. "Jasper proposed, and of course I said yes, but we aren't rushing into anything. We want a nice, long engagement. I'm going to move in with him first. We aren't jumping into this blind."

"Sounds like you have it all planned out."

"But that puts you in a difficult position, doesn't it?" Alice frowned.

"How so?"

"Edward has this old-fashioned idea I should've been living here all summer to sort of be a chaperone or something. He didn't want you to feel uncomfortable about staying in this house alone with him."

"That _is_ old fashioned." I smirked. It totally sounded like Edward, though. "It'll be fine, Alice. It's not like Edward's around much, anyway."

"That's what I told him." Alice rolled her eyes. "Anyway, it's not like I'm totally jumping ship. Now that Jasper's place is finished, I can really focus on getting this house done."

"Once your work is featured in that magazine article, your phone will be blowing up with calls," I suggested.

"God, I hope so! But I'm making this one a priority."

"I'm sure your brother will appreciate that," I told her, smiling. It felt really good to refer to Edward as her brother! "Anyway," I shook my head, "I just wanted to let you know I really am happy for you."

"Thanks. I'm happy for me, too." She grinned. "Listen, Bella," Alice continued. "I'm going on this trip to meet up with the boys in Pittsburg, but I'll only be gone four days. The men are leaving for New York right after. As much as I'd like to go with Jaz on _all_ of his road trips, that's just not possible. And just because I'm moving into my new place, it doesn't mean I won't be around. I'll still be here to help you out."

"I'm not worried about it." I waved her off.

"Maybe not right now, but you will be." Alice frowned a little. "Their schedule's hard. You haven't even begun to see it, yet. Sometimes Edward will be playing fourteen or fifteen days in a row before he gets a single day off, and lots of times, he's busy on those days, too."

"I think I'll be okay."

"Sure." Alice shrugged. "But all the same, Edward and I are going to sit down with his schedule and circle some dates. He wants to make sure that you get some time off. I'll fill in, or we'll rearrange schedules to have some of the other staff there. Trust me on this. As big as this house is, it'll start to feel like a prison if you can't have your own life outside of it."

By Friday, I was anxious to take Alice up on her suggestion, so I agreed to meet my friends for lunch. True to her word, Alice had been busy even while she was away in Pittsburg, because movers had been hauling in furniture all week. It had seemed like an endless task, coordinating all of their deliveries, and because the house was so large, I knew that work had only just begun. Not to mention, the smell of fresh paint was beginning to give me a headache.

"Get out of here." Alice smiled, testing out swatches on the wall in the dining room. "Take some time for you!"

"I'm going out for lunch," I told her. "Would you like to come with me?"

"Nah. I'll be busy in here all day. I'll just nosh a sandwich in the kitchen with the painters." Alice smiled.

"Okay." I nodded.

"But I don't have any plans later. Do you want to hang out together when you get back? We can watch the game."

"I'd like that." I smiled. "I won't be gone long!"

About an hour later, I was happily relaxing while enjoying long overdue time with my friends.

"You've been completely MIA," Jake told me, taking the bread basket from Angela, who passed it across the bistro table we shared for lunch. "I was beginning to think they've been keeping you chained to a dungeon wall over there in Cullen Castle."

"I'm sorry, guys." I sighed tiredly. "It's been a busy week."

"You realize this is what it's going to come to eventually, right?" Angela asked. "When we all become breeders. We'll have kids that keep us busy all the time, and we'll never get together anymore!"

"You're the first one in the lineup to be in that position." I rolled my eyes at her. "But let's get you married first, huh?"

"Listen to my girl; all adjusted already and using big baseball terms!" Jake nudged me with his elbow.

"Time out," Ben said, playing along. "Can we decide on where we're going to live before we start talking about diapers, please?"

"Don't rule me out." Jake grinned. "I might consider adoption."

"Maybe if you didn't have commitment issues," Angela teased.

"Excuse me?"

"When's the last time you dated someone longer than a month?" I asked.

"When's the last time you dated someone _period_?" Jake threw back at me, playfully sticking his tongue out.

"That reminds me…" Angela put her fork beside her plate. "Ben's cousin is flying in for the wedding. Really nice guy. Good-looking, too."

"Hey now…" Ben inserted.

"Not as cute as you, boo." Angela smiled, putting her hand on top of his. "Anyway, he's single, and you're single. And with the way you're working all summer, I figured it might be hard for you to come up with a date for the wedding—"

"Stop." I shook my head. "Please, no blind dates, okay?"

"I just want you to be able to have fun!"

"I don't need a date to have fun," I argued. "Besides, I'll sort of be your beck-and-call girl all day, anyway."

"Have you seen her dress, yet?" Jake asked, nodding enthusiastically. "That thing's huge. You're totally going to have to hold it up for her when she pees!"

"Thanks, Jake." Angela rolled her eyes.

"Enough about the wedding." Ben raised his hand to get a waiter to bring more wine. "In case anyone hasn't noticed, Bella's been deliberately avoiding talking about everything going on over at the Cullen place."

"I have not!"

"Have so! What gives?" Jake asked. "Last I heard from you, some major drama was brewing over there. Spill, girl. You know you're living in the middle of my favorite soap opera!"

"Seriously." Angela pouted. "No phone calls. You barely reply to texts…"

"I'm sorry." I sighed. "There's just been a lot going on, and… some stuff happened I didn't want to tell you about over the phone."

"Such as?" Jake asked, looking intrigued.

"Well, like, me making an epic fool of myself yet again." I twisted my napkin nervously on my lap. "You know how I was totally stressed out, trying to keep this big secret from Edward about Alice and that other guy I saw her kissing?"

"Yeah?"

"Turns out that guy is the shortstop on Edward's team."

"You met Jasper Hale?" Angela's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, my God! He's dreamy!"

"How do you know all these players?" Jake asked.

"I told you Ben's a big fan." Angela wrinkled her nose at him. "We watch the games together. A lot of the guys look like they've been hit with one too many fast pitches; the good-looking ones stand out."

"Yeah. Alice had a picnic last weekend at the house. A bunch of Edward's teammates were there."

"Oooh. The sordid plot thickens!" Jake put his elbow on the table and lifted his hand to his face so he could rest his chin on his palm.

"I still can't believe you're hanging out with St. Louis royalty!" Angela sipped her wine.

"You just better remember you're all sworn to secrecy!" I pointed at her. "Those confidentiality papers I had to sign are no joke!"

"You know we won't say anything," Jake promised. "Now, finish your story!"

"Well, it turns out I created all the drama in my own head." I rolled my eyes. "Alice isn't cheating on Edward. She's his _sister_!"

"What?" Jake sat back up in his chair and shook his head, quietly chuckling. "You know, you could've saved yourself a lot of embarrassment by just Googling the man like any normal person would have."

"I don't need to Google him," I mumbled. "He wants to sit down to have, like, a serious conversation or something when he gets home on Sunday. He wants to make sure there aren't any more misunderstandings between us or whatever."

"What else could you possibly be confused by?" Angela asked.

"Um…" I hedged, pushing spaghetti noodles around my plate with my fork. "I'm not entirely sure."

"She's not saying something." Ben looked at Angela knowingly, and she nodded.

"Spill, Bella. What else is going on?"

"I… _think…_ Edward might be interested in me." There. I said it.

"Like getting to know you better, too?" Jake narrowed his eyes. "Or like _interested_ interested?"

"He told me he's been trying to flirt with me."

" _What?_ "

Angela promptly began choking on a bite of her breadstick and grabbed her water glass, trying to stop sputtering.

"See? This is why I couldn't tell you on the phone," I explained. "I feel like an idiot!"

"I don't get it." Jake shook his head. "What do you mean he's been _trying_ to flirt with you?"

"That's what he said." I shrugged. "I mean, I guess I missed it. I thought he was just being nice. I had no idea he'd been flirting with me. I thought he was married. Plus, he's who he is, you know? Why in the hell would I think someone like Edward would be interested in _me?_ "

"Well, why wouldn't he be?" Angela asked, finally finding her breath. "You're smart and funny, and you're totally pretty, Bells!"

"You _do_ have a nice rack." Jake shrugged when Angela and I both gave him surprised looks. "What? Just because I'm gay, I can't appreciate nice boobs? It's not like I want to motorboat them or anything. I'm just sayin'…"

"I'm not in his league," I answered, rolling my eyes. "No pun intended."

"Obviously he thinks you are, if he's actually pointed out he's been hitting on you," Ben supplied.

"I don't know what to do!"

"Are you interested in him, too?" Jake asked.

"I… could be," I admitted, blushing.

"What does that mean?"

"I've been trying not to think of him like _that_!" I moaned. "It's been hard, thinking he was a married man and all. And he's my boss! But he's, like, ridiculously hot. Sure, he has a nasty temper and sometimes cusses like a sailor, but he's also very considerate and kind. Still, I don't switch gears that fast."

"So now that you know he's available and probably into you…"

"It changes everything." I finally smiled. "But I have no idea how to handle this. I mean, what should I do now?"

"Let him know you're interested, too." Angela shrugged. "He wants to talk Sunday? Just be honest with him, and let him know you like him. It wouldn't hurt to wear something sexy, either."

"I'm _so_ out of practice with men," I groaned.

"I'll say." Angela snorted. "I've never known a guy who had to practically rent out a flashing billboard just to get a girl to notice he'd been flirting! Unless he's just that bad at it…"

"I have a feeling he's good at _everything_." I blushed. " _I'm_ the one who's clueless."

"Blinded by your own insecurities." Jake smiled and patted my hand on the table.

"You know, I kinda want to slap you for waiting so long to tell us all of this!" Angela complained. "Because as much as I want to sit here and drill you for more info, I have to get going. I have an appointment with a florist!"

"And I told Molly I'd be back at the store before 3:00." Jake nodded, looking at his watch. "We _will_ talk about this later!"

"You're coming to Ben's birthday next weekend, right?" Angela asked.

"Oh!" Shamefaced, I bit my lip. I'd totally forgotten about it! "I need to check my schedule."

"She needs to check her schedule," Ben said, playfully imitating my voice. He immediately wrapped me in a hug and kissed the top of my head. "I'll understand if you can't make it."

"I'll try," I told him, squeezing back.

"Well, let me know." Angela smiled. "And you better call me Sunday to tell me how your date with Edward went!"

"It's _not_ a date," I mumbled. "We're just going to sit down to talk."

"Sure. Whatever you say." Jake grinned.

 **~*~* Reviews are better than Pamela Lorraine poking me with a stick to make me write faster ;) Leave one!*~*~**


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

"Did you have a nice day with your friends?" Alice asked, plopping down beside me on the couch.

"I did." I smiled. "Thanks."

"You know, when I get this place finished, you should invite them over."

"I don't know." I frowned and played with the drawstring on my pajama pants. "Edward said I couldn't have people over unless he said it was okay."

"Psh." Alice waved her hand. "That was probably just because he didn't know you yet. I mean, you could've been throwing massive parties and trashing this place while he was away, right? I'll talk to him about it. Besides, I'd like to meet your friends!"

"I think they'd like you." I grinned.

"Oooh, look! Our guys!" Alice pointed at the television screen as the Cardinals' starting lineup was announced. I knew that when she said "our guys," she was referring to the team, but I couldn't help but blush, remembering the way Edward had told me he'd been trying to flirt with me. I mean, could he possibly be interested in being "my guy" the way Jasper was to Alice?

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." She smiled.

"Why is it that you and Edward have different last names?"

"We have different fathers." Alice shrugged. "Doc Cullen is my mother's _third_ husband. Edward's father was a real bad sort. He used to treat Edward and our Mom pretty bad. She left him and got a divorce, and a few years later, she met my dad. Then I came along, and… We were all really happy for a while."

"What happened?"

"My dad died in a car accident."

"I'm sorry!"

"I was only four at the time." Alice shook her head. "When Mom met Doc Cullen, we moved to Washington to live with him and _his_ son, Emmett. My mom wasn't in a real big hurry to get married again, so they were together about five years before he finally convinced her to tie the knot. Doc offered to adopt both Edward and me, to give us his last name. Edward decided he'd rather be a Cullen since his own father was such a jerk, but I kinda liked the idea of staying a Brandon."

"That's quite a story."

"I'm glad I made that decision." Alice smiled. "Not that I don't love Doc. I mean, he's my dad; I just wouldn't want my _brother's_ name attached to _my_ design business. Emmett has a wife and kids and runs his own construction company, and people are always asking him if he's related to Edward. I guess it's because Edward played for the Mariners and people know we're from that area. Anyway, I'd never know if people wanted to hire me for my connection to Edward or if they wanted me for _me_. I don't want to piggyback on his success. I'm gonna keep my name after I marry Jasper, too. Same reason."

"Sounds like you have it all figured out."

"I told you. Sometimes I know things. Like, I knew I was going to marry Jasper the moment I saw him!"

"And can you see the outcome of this game?" I jokingly pointed at the television.

"We're going to win." Alice grinned.

Turns out that Alice doesn't know everything. The Cardinals lost by a landslide. It was almost embarrassing.

"I guess I should be glad Edward won't be home tomorrow." I sighed and turned off the television. "He gets really moody when the team loses."

"Jasper does, too." Alice made a face. "But I'll FaceTime him later, once he's had time to get back to their hotel. It always makes him feel better when I show him my boobs!"

"Oh, God," I groaned with a laugh.

"Their coach will rework the bullpen, and they'll be in better form tomorrow." Alice shrugged. "They lost it on the mound tonight."

"Tomorrow's a day game, right?"

"Yep. Starting pitch is at 1:15." Alice nodded. "I'm heading upstairs. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Have fun with your video chat," I said, grinning.

By the end of the game on Saturday, I had a feeling Alice was going to have to show Jasper a whole lot more than just her boobs in order to pull him out of his slump. The Cardinals lost to the Dodgers yet again. Jasper had an error counted against him during the game, and Edward was nearly taken off the field after arguing with the umpire about a bad pitch. It was ugly.

I didn't hear Edward get home Saturday night, but I was dressed and ready for the day bright and early on Sunday morning. I wasn't sure what time Edward would want to have the chat he'd promised, but I had the very girlie urge to look my best. I'd curled my hair into soft waves and wore a cute little skirt with a blue shirt—I knew Edward liked blue—along with a pair of ballet flats.

By noon, it was obvious Edward intended to sleep in. When he still hadn't made an appearance, I could no longer ignore the growling in my stomach. I didn't want to clang around in the kitchen and risk the chance of waking him after he'd just returned from a tiring road trip, so I quickly changed into a comfortable pair of shorts and sandals and pulled my hair into a ponytail before grabbing my purse and heading out the door.

By 2:00, I looked like a complete mess. I pulled into the garage and glared balefully at the troublesome take-out bag from Taco Bell that sat on the passenger seat in my truck. The stupid air conditioner in my truck was still out, and the rusted old vehicle had almost overheated while I was in the drive-thru. I was still hungry, but now I had swamp ass from driving in the ninety-degree heat. Mascara was smeared under my eyes, my face was red, and my hair was sweaty and stuck to my neck. And Edward stood in the doorway, in full shirtless glory, looking at me with a strange mixture of emotions on his face. Try as I might, I couldn't begin to guess what he was thinking.

Why? Why did he have to be so gorgeous? Even fresh out of bed, with his hair stuck up in every direction, and badly needing a shave, he looked amazing wearing only a long pair of shorts. I'd hoped to look pretty when he saw me again, and now… Ugh. I looked and felt gross. I was also pretty sure I smelled as bad as one of the soggy bean burritos that were steaming in the bottom of the bag beside me.

"Hi?" I awkwardly greeted Edward as I stepped out of the truck and walked toward him, even though I wish I could run and hide. "Welcome home!"

"What's that?" Edward frowned.

"Taco Bell?" I held up the crinkled bag in question.

"No. That!" Edward pointed his finger past me, and I turned to see what appeared to be steam rising from the rounded hood of my truck.

"Ahh," I groaned. "It's running hot. I forgot to put in more coolant."

"You forgot to shoot it and put it out of its misery," Edward replied.

"Be nice." I frowned. "It's a classic."

"A classic piece of shit!"

"Hey!" Insulted, I narrowed my eyes and stood my ground. "For your information, my dad bought that truck when I was fifteen. He loved it and planned to fix it up, but he got sick and couldn't."

"Sentimental value isn't going to save you when that thing breaks down while you're driving it."

"This thing is a tank," I argued. "It's never failed me yet!"

"Well, I don't like it." Edward folded his arms across his chest and tilted his head in a cocky, superior sort of way that made me grit my teeth.

"I don't really care what _you_ like." I felt my voice rise. "It's none of your business what I drive!"

"Like hell it's not!" Edward dropped his arms and took two steps towards me. Something about the look on his face told me I should step back, but I didn't. "When you're working for me and living in this house, your safety is _my_ responsibility!"

"Whatever," I huffed, stepping around him to go into the house. This was _not_ how I imagined it would be when Edward got back. "You know, _you're_ a lot like that truck," I threw over my shoulder. "Big and rust-colored and blowing steam! Find me later when you've decided not to take your bad mood out on me!"

Considering how long I took to eat my lunch, you'd think those bean burritos were a seven-course meal After, I took a shower and painted my toenails. Then I finished the last chapter of the book I'd been reading. Finally, when I couldn't think of anything else to do to help me avoid Edward, I walked back upstairs. I found the man sitting on his large leather couch, watching a baseball game.

"Feeling better?" Edward asked.

"Are _you_?" I replied from the doorway. "How did you know I was here?"

"I can see your reflection in the screen," Edward pointed out. "Are you going to continue lurking back there, or will you join me?"

"I'm _not_ lurking," I mumbled, walking into the room. "I just wanted to make sure you're in a better mood…" I bit my lip. "Anyway, I came up to apologize. I shouldn't have been so rude earlier. I was hot and hungry. And that really wasn't how I wanted to welcome you home."

"I wasn' _t_ taking my mood out on you." Edward looked over at me. "In fact, I wasn't in a bad mood at all."

"Sure sounded like it."

"I woke up and couldn't find you. I apologize if you mistook my concern for aggression, Miss Swan. I don't like thinking about you driving around in an unsafe vehicle."

"I figured you'd be crabby. You know, because the Dodgers beat you."

"That's why I'm watching this recording." Edward pointed a remote at the screen to fast forward the image. "If I don't like something, it's up to me to change it. Don't you agree?"

"Sure." I shrugged. "How does this recording help?" Edward reached to move a pillow so I could sit in the corner of the couch.

"If I watch closely, I can analyze the movements of the pitcher," Edward explained. "Get some of his tells. Do you know what I mean?"

"Like in poker? Something that gives you away?"

"Exactly. Take this guy for instance. See how he drops his shoulder a bit right… there?"

"I guess." I squinted at the screen.

"He's going to throw it outside." Edward nodded, eyes trained to the movement in front of him.

I watched as the pitch played out. Sure enough, Edward was right.

"I thought Alice was the one who has a weird way of knowing things." I smiled.

"It's not clairvoyance," Edward replied. "Just a whole lot of practice."

"Okay, so if you can see these tells so easily," I began, "why didn't you get on base during the last game?"

"Ouch." Edward winced. "Trust me. It's a lot easier to do when you're sitting here watching a game reel in slow motion. Try spotting them from a distance of sixty feet when the pitcher's winding up to throw a baseball at about ninety miles per hour in your direction!"

"Yikes," I mumbled, biting my lip.

"Yikes is right." Edward laughed.

"I wish I could read _you_ like that," I told him. I felt my cheeks heat as he raised his eyebrow and looked at me. "It might've helped today, you know?" I stammered. "Like, if I could've guessed you were concerned or whatever… instead of thinking you were just being a big butthead."

"Butthead? Really?" Edward laughed. "You've been hanging out with Ali too much!"

"We _did_ spend some time together this weekend. She got a lot of work done!"

"It looks great." Edward smiled. "It's funny knowing you'd like to read me, especially considering I was just sitting here thinking the same about _you_."

"Really?" I felt bashful and looked down. "I'm pretty much an open book."

"On the contrary. I find it very hard to guess what's going on in that head of yours."

"You can't read my tells?" I smirked.

"Maybe a few of them." Edward smiled. "I can't miss that blush, can I?"

"Like I said. Open book."

"But it's not that simple." Edward shook his head. "Sometimes tells can be misleading, and you end up second-guessing yourself, especially when it comes to trying to figure out women."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I've always thought of females, in general, as pitchers."

" _Excuse me?_ "

"Pitchers, Miss Swan. Pitchers, with a 'P.'"

"Oh, okay." I nodded, relaxing into my seat once more.

"So… women. They stand out there on the mound. And the batter? That's a poor defenseless man up there in the batter's box."

"Continue…" I instructed, curious about where Edward was going with all of this.

"The man's confused, right? I mean, he's standing there, gripping his bat—"

"Is this story X-rated?"

"Focus, Miss Swan." Edward smiled, shaking his head. "My point is that the woman is going to do her best to get that batter rattled. She's throwing all sorts of stuff his way, but mostly, she paints the corners."

"'Paints the corners'?"

"That means that the pitches are covering the edges of the plate."

"Okay…" I nodded.

"Every pitch a woman throws is meant to make you second guess your stance." Edward tilted his head. "Playing hard to get, you know? Sometimes she wants you to reach for it. Sometimes she wants you to back off the plate."

"Sometimes she throws a fast ball at your head and you're forced to eat the dirt!"

"You get the idea." Edward smiled.

"What kind of pitcher am I?" I asked him then, playing along.

"I have the feeling you're the worst kind." Edward's lips pulled into a frown. "You stand on the mound and throw at the letters."

"I don't know that term."

"It's a pitch that comes right across the middle of the plate. There's no curve, no extra spin. It's as straightforward as it gets. What _you're_ throwing comes across chest-high, at the letters on the batter's jersey. If the batter moved just a _little_ bit into its path, he'd take a hit right here." Edward clapped an open palm against the center of his chest. The intense look in his eyes made me swallow hard.

"What's so bad about a pitch like that?" I asked quietly.

"A perfect pitch is rare," Edward replied. "And everything we're taught about the game tells us not to trust it. If we jump on the swing, we'll strike out. If we hesitate too long, waiting to see if the bottom drops out, we'll strike out then, too. A truly perfect pitch doesn't come along often. Most of the time, when it does happen, we get called out while we stand there and watch it go by."

"But what if you trust your gut?" I asked. "Take a chance and swing?"

"If you connect?" Edward pulled up the corner of his mouth in a soft smile that caused my pulse to race. He leaned in toward me and spoke with a deep, husky-sounding voice. "And you hit the sweet spot? Well then, you go yard."

"That's a homerun, isn't it?" My shaky voice came out at a near whisper.

"If you're lucky, it's a grand slam, baby."

Oh, my _God._ There was absolutely no way I was missing Edward's tell. Edward's tell was, well, three inches from my face and coming in fast. He was totally going to kiss me! And like the curse of bad luck I always seem to have, I was suddenly and disgustingly aware I still had a bad case of Taco Bell burrito breath! No bueno!

"You already started watching the tapes without me?" A loud voice with a heavy southern accent called from the foyer. "You said 5:00, right?" Edward and I spun away from each other immediately. I jumped to my feet to see that Jasper and Alice had just walked through the door. Given the circumstances and the sour remnants of fire sauce in the back of my mouth, I was extremely grateful for the interruption.

"We brought burgers and beer," Alice announced.

"You can't just walk in here whenever you want." Edward pushed his hands through his hair and stood. "Do I need to remind you that you moved out, Ali? Miss Swan, remind me to have the locks changed!"

"Okay." I nodded, giggling a little as Alice made a face at her brother.

"Relax. I'll ring the bell next time." Alice rolled her eyes.

"Ali thought Bella might want to go out and see a movie or something while the two of us get to work on those tapes," Jasper suggested.

"That sounds like fun." I smiled, jumping at the offer. I was feeling a little shaky and could use some fresh air. "Unless Edward needs me here…"

"No. You go." Edward frowned. "I won't be needing you this evening, Miss Swan. We can continue our _conversation_ later. You girls have a good time."

"Super!" Alice smiled.

"But for the love of God, _please_ let Alice drive. I don't want you taking that truck out tonight."

"I'll just be a minute," I said hurrying from the room. Alice's arrival couldn't have come at a better time. I needed some space to process everything that had just occurred. Or everything that had _almost_ occurred. Edward certainly had a very jaded opinion of women. Where did I fit in with all of that?

Like Edward watching his game tapes, I knew I'd likely replay this entire scene over and over in my head later. For now, I would happily accept the distraction Alice provided. But first? I _really_ needed to brush my teeth!

 **~*~*Being interrupted when you're about to go yard? No bueno! Reviews are much better than fire sauce. Leave one! *~*~**


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Sixty feet. That's the distance between the pitcher's mound and the batter's box. I stood there on the hill, toeing the rubber while contemplating my next pitch. Jake was in full catcher's gear behind home plate, giving me signs I was set to ignore. He wanted me to throw a curveball. I shook him off. He signaled I should throw one high and away. I shook that one off, too.

Edward stood ready in the batter's box, bat raised and muscles coiled to swing. I knew what he expected: a fast ball right down the middle. If I delivered, he'd probably send that thing right back at me. With the crack of his bat, that red-stitched bullet would be delivered in a hundred-mile-an-hour line drive. I wouldn't have time to flinch or duck; I'd just take a hit right in the face.

The idea made me pull nervously at the neck of my itchy uniform. I was sweating bullets. Of course I would be. It was a humid eighty-nine degrees in downtown St. Louis, and I was dressed in… a _fuzzy lamb costume?_ What kind of baseball game _was_ this?

I woke in my bed, heart pounding, and rubbed at my eyes with the heels of my hands. What a freaking nightmare!

It really was no wonder I was having bad dreams. I'd been internally obsessing over the last conversation Edward and I had shared all evening. Even the chick flick Alice insisted we watch at the theater wasn't enough to distract me from thinking about her brother. Alice sniffled and wiped at her eyes during the romantically sappy gestures that played out on the big screen, while I chewed on the end of my soda straw and contemplated Edward's _tells_ and what he really told me without saying much of anything at all.

If I could assume anything based on our conversation, it was that Edward was nervous about being hurt. _Taking a hit to the chest_ , I think he'd said. Couldn't he see I stood just as much risk, even being willing to step onto the field with him? For that matter, why did I even think I should? It was like he was on the all-star team and I was still playing for a pee-wee league. I was definitely not prepared for the big show.

Frustrated, I kicked off my blankets and went upstairs to warm some milk. I needed to be able to get back to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. Not only did I have to work, but Alice had convinced me that I should go with her to see the Cardinals play a home game.

I was standing near the counter, blowing steam across the top of my mug, when I heard Edward speak behind me.

"We have to stop meeting like this," Edward said with a soft chuckle.

"At least I didn't freak out and break my mug on the floor this time." I smiled as I turned to face him in the half-lit room.

"And I didn't yell and hurl insults at you." He grinned.

"I'm so glad we're past all of that." I wrinkled my nose. "I'm sorry. I hope I didn't wake you."

"You didn't." He shrugged. "I came down for some water. May I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"What is it with you and the warm milk thing?"

"Ahh." I cupped my mug in my hands and smiled. "My dad used to make me warm milk when I couldn't sleep."

"You had a very strong relationship with him." Edward frowned. "I envy that."

"I miss him." I nodded, wanting to ask Edward about his own father but quickly thought better of it. It was almost midnight, and he had to play tomorrow. Now wasn't the time for any prolonged conversation. "Well… I'll just take this downstairs. Goodnight."

"Bella?" Edward stopped me. "Alice said you're going to the game with her tomorrow night."

"If that's all right."

"Of course it is." He smiled. "I just wanted to tell you I'll have a box with your ticket and everything you might need delivered tomorrow."

"Thanks, Edward."

A box was delivered the following day about an hour after he left for batting practice, and Edward had gone completely overboard.

"You gotta be kidding me," I grumbled, digging through a large pile of Cardinals merchandise that had been folded and placed in the package. Red. White. And more red. T-shirts. Jerseys. Hats. Earrings? Some of the clothing bore simple team emblems. Some of it had Edward's name and number silk-screened to the fabric. One t-shirt simply said "Team Edward."

"What's that?" Alice asked, walking into the room to see what I was doing.

"Edward had this package sent," I told her, holding up a gaudy cuff bracelet decorated with a silver STL logo. "I hope he doesn't think I'm going to wear all of this stuff!"

"He probably just wanted to give you plenty to choose from." Alice shrugged. "I might've let it slip that you told me you didn't have a team shirt to wear to the game."

"Right. I needed a t-shirt, not the entire merchandise store!"

"Just leave everything you don't want in the box. I'll pick it up later and add it to the items we donate to charity."

In the end, I chose to wear a plain white t-shirt with an emblem that depicted two redbirds sitting on a yellow bat. For the fun of it, I donned one of the red caps and pulled my ponytail out above the adjustment strap in back. I was going to a ballgame, not a fashion show. And just because I wanted a souvenir, I put one white Jersey with Edward's name and number across the back in my closet before I re-taped the box and set it aside.

"You're not dressed, yet?" I asked Alice when I returned to the main level of the house.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, shaking her head. "I'm going to have to catch up with you there. A client called and needs to meet with me, and I'm not sure how long I'll be."

"Okay." I shrugged.

"Just grab some dinner up in the suite, and I'll be there as soon as I can."

"See ya!"

While I wasn't accustomed to being chauffeured to events, I was actually very grateful for the luxury vehicle Edward had sent. The driver dropped me off right in front of Busch Stadium. I couldn't begin to imagine driving my truck downtown in the madness that surrounded the ballpark. I was pretty sure my truck would've overheated in the nearly stand-still traffic, and finding parking would've been a wretched ordeal.

Once I stepped out onto the sidewalk, I was enveloped in a sea of red. Baseball fans of all ages rushed through the area, lining up to get through the gates. I thought I might've been intimidated by the sheer size of the stadium because I was there alone, but I found myself caught up in the excitement of it all—the colors and noises and smells. I could already tell this was going to be _way_ more fun than watching the game on television!

My enthusiasm was dampened slightly when I found the suite where I was to wait for Alice. The private door led me into a bright, modern, and nearly sterile sort of room decorated with cream-colored leather sofas and chairs, glass tables holding vases of fresh flowers, and glossy television monitors on three walls. It had the feel of a corporate office and none of the appeal of the crowded concourse I had walked through to get to this exclusive space. The only saving grace was that beyond the wall of smoked glass that faced the playing field, I could see a section where I could sit outdoors. That seemed like a much better option than staying inside with the group of well-dressed people who were already milling around the suite and sipping drinks while sharing quiet conversation. Besides, if I wanted to sit on a couch and watch the game on a screen, I could've just stayed home.

I skipped the prime rib and champagne that was offered to me by an attendant and opted instead for a hot dog and a beer. With my hands full, I walked through the glass doors to take a seat. I nearly groaned out loud, however, when I walked down the steps and saw Victoria standing there, speaking to a man and a woman who were already seated. I hesitated a moment too long, trying to decide if I should continue on my path or retreat into the box suite, and in that time, Victoria looked up and locked eyes with me. Crap.

"Well, well…" Victoria drawled, a cold smile on her face as she walked toward me. "Did I miss an event on the marketing calendar? Is it Send an Employee to the Ballpark Night? We usually dedicate a section or two for tickets like that so we can keep all the charity freebies together. This area's typically reserved for those associated with management."

"Don't mind us," a sweet voice said, speaking loudly from behind me. The cavalry had arrived. Alice had found me and not a moment too soon. "We're just here for the open bar. If you need us during the game, we'll be down there behind the dugout, you know, sitting with the players' wives. Come on, Bella! They're about to announce the line up!"

I bit my lip to keep from laughing at the angry look on Victoria's face. Eagerly, I followed Alice up the steps and back into the suite.

"Do we really have seats near the field?" I asked. "This is the only ticket Edward sent."

"Honey, the players have reserved seats for friends and family. You don't need a ticket. Your name's on a list. The suite pass is one that can be scanned at the gate to get you into the ballpark."

I was a little worried that the players' wives wouldn't take too kindly to sharing their reserved area with a stranger, but once Alice and I got down to the seats near the field, I saw a couple of friendly women I'd previously met at Alice's picnic. They smiled and waved from their seats further down the row. Alice stopped once to speak to an attendant who held a clipboard.

"Hello, Miss Brandon," the man spoke. "Who do you have with you this evening?"

"Isabella Swan," Alice replied for me. "Edward put her on the list."

"Ahh. Here it is." He tapped his paper and smiled at me. I felt shy when Alice's announcement caused a couple of other ladies to turn and stare at me with curiosity.

"Why are they looking at me?" I whispered to Alice, lowering myself into my seat.

"Don't mind them." Alice waved her hand. "They just want to know who Edward reserved a seat for. It's pretty rare he has anyone sitting down here. Since all of our family is in Washington, his seats are typically empty."

"Oh."

"And that _really_ pisses Vickie off." Alice smirked. "I mean, she likes to play like she's queen of the castle up there in the Executive Suite, but she'd give her left fake tit to have Edward offer her one of these seats."

"You don't like her."

"That's an understatement."

"Why?" I asked. I took a bite of my hotdog.

"She's DTF, and every player in major league baseball knows it."

"DTF?" I asked, taking another bite of my hotdog and instantly regretting it.

"Down to fuck," Alice replied. She slapped me on the back when I started coughing.

"You mean…" I reached for my beer to wash down the bite that had nearly choked me.

"A dirt bunny and the worst kind. She likes to think she's above it all, since her uncle is one of the team owners and basically handed her a big-time job with the organization, but she's hopped on more fields than this one. She's slept with players on just about every team in the National League."

"Really? Is that why you two don't get along? You don't want her sinking her fangs into Edward?"

"Oh, she's already been there and done that." Alice rolled her eyes, and I started coughing again. "What? You didn't know?" I shook my head and wiped at my eyes with a napkin. I was happy to give the uneaten portion of my hotdog to an attendant who'd stopped by to clear away empty cups and offer fresh drinks.

"Two more beers, please," I ordered. I thought I might need to switch to something stronger to handle the information I'd just been given, but Alice wasn't done.

"He probably didn't mention it because he's embarrassed." Alice shook her head and placed her hand on my forearm. "I mean, they dated for about six months right after he was traded to the Cardinals. He didn't know anything about her then, and I think he thought he was getting off on the right track, trying to be a one-woman man and all of that. Before he started dating her, he'd gone through his whole whore phase."

"'Whore phase'?"

"Don't even let it bother you." Alice smiled. "A lot of these guys go through it, and Edward—thank God!—has finally come to his senses. I mean, he hasn't dated anyone that I know of since he and Vickie broke up, and that was, like, eight or nine months ago."

"I don't think she's over it." I frowned.

"Not to be gross, because he's my brother," Alice shrugged and then pointed at the back of Edward's jersey as the team took to the field, "but look at him, at all of this…" She glanced around, indicating the thousands of screaming fans. "Can you blame her? I don't think it'd be that easy to give up."

Seeing the game from seats close to the field was an absolutely thrilling experience. It's a well-known fact in St. Louis that the Cubs are our biggest rivals, but despite all of the good-natured razzing that goes on between the fans, the Chicago team was actually very good! And the game was intense. It was a battle on the field against worthy opponents. I screamed and cheered so loudly throughout the game that I was certain I wouldn't have a voice left with which to speak the following day, especially when Edward stepped out to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning and sailed a ball into the Cardinals bullpen for a walk-off homerun! The team rushed the field, jumping up and against each other. Someone threw an entire cooler of water over Edward's head, and Alice and I screamed and hugged each other while fireworks blasted high into the night air above Busch Stadium, signaling the team's victory.

"That was amazing!" I croaked, my throat feeling scratchy and raw as I watched the players leave the field and file into the dugout.

"It's not done, yet." Alice smiled and pointed. The crowd was on its feet, still cheering and clapping. I watched and saw Edward re-appear, holding the game winning ball above his head victoriously while tipping his helmet toward the crowd. The response of his audience was deafening.

I stood there clapping, watching Edward accept the accolades, and felt my face heat instantly when Edward's eyes dropped from the crowd and he looked directly at me. A smile more joyous and satisfied than I could ever imagine pulled across his handsome features just before he took two steps forward and tossed that baseball right at me.

Thank God I didn't fumble the catch. I caught the ball in both hands and immediately pulled it tight to my chest. He nodded once in our direction before disappearing once more

"Oh, wow!" Alice smiled widely. "You know that's a big deal, right? That hit just placed him as the leader in the homerun race!"

I didn't know what to say, so I quickly pushed the ball into my bag to keep it safe. I don't know why Edward had chosen to give me that token, but the gesture made me feel very special, and I was on cloud nine as I walked back out through the crowd to get into the car that waited for me outside.

As the noise of the stadium faded away, reality started to seep back in. Alice had given me a lot to think about tonight, and once more, I felt my mind grow heavy with worry. How many other girls had been made to feel special and singled out by Edward Cullen? I knew he was divorced, and Victoria was obviously still nursing wounds left behind in his wake. And according to Alice, Edward had gone through a "whore phase" and probably had girls waiting for him in every city he ever played in! How many hearts had been broken by the Lion on his road to success? Would I allow myself to be another name on that roster? Did I even have a choice at this point? I had a feeling there was no way I'd get through this summer unchanged and unharmed. I could only hope that when it was time for me to go, I wasn't hurt so badly that I ended up on the permanently disabled list.

 **~*~*Reviews are better than hotdogs. Leave one.*~*~**


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

I tossed and turned in my bed that night. To make matters worse, I couldn't even go upstairs to warm some milk to try to help me sleep because I was too afraid I'd run into Edward again. He'd be standing there, looking all comfy in cotton sleep pants, with his hair messy and his face stubbly. All he'd have to do is give me one sleepy, crooked smile, and I'd probably find myself upstairs in bed with a man I hardly knew.

But then what? This wasn't a tropical island getaway, where I could consider a hot one-night stand with a stranger knowing I'd never have to see him again. I worked for Edward. I lived under his roof. I knew, despite the crazy attraction I had for the man, I'd have to get to know him a whole lot better before I decided how to proceed.

"Miss Swan?"

"Hmm… Edward," I mumbled, rolling over to reach for the voice I heard beside me.

"Miss Swan? Can you come upstairs to the kitchen, please?"

I blinked and sat up in my bed, realizing Edward's voice was coming through the intercom speaker across the room. I jumped out of bed and shuffled over to press the button that would allow me to reply.

"Sure," I spoke with a yawn. "I need a few minutes..."

"Quickly, if you can," Edward instructed. "I need your assistance this morning."

I frowned and got into motion. Edward had never used the intercom before, and he'd asked me to be quick. Guessing at the importance of his message, I spent no longer than five minutes brushing my teeth, pulling my hair back into a messy bun, and pulling on a pair of leggings with a long t-shirt. No time for makeup or to search for shoes, I rushed upstairs to the kitchen.

"Edward?" I called out, finding the large room empty.

"In the dining room," he replied. I rubbed my hands over my tired face as I followed his voice and then stalled in the doorway when I saw that Edward wasn't alone. Three men sat across the large dining room table from Edward, and Victoria sat at his side. They were all dressed in business clothing, and I looked, well, like I'd just jumped out of bed. I didn't miss the way Victoria's eyes traveled from the top of my unbrushed hair to the tips of my unpainted toes before she smirked and looked back at the papers in front of her.

"Good morning, Miss Swan," Edward smiled as he stood. "May I speak to you for a moment in the other room?" If he'd noticed anything about my unkempt appearance, he hid it well. I nodded and retreated back into the kitchen.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered as soon as I was out of earshot of his guests. "I didn't know you had a work meeting!"

"It was a last-minute thing." Edward shrugged. "I didn't mean for it to be an inconvenience. You're usually up by now."

"Oh, God," I groaned, glancing at the digital reading on the microwave. It was almost 9:00 in the morning! "I had a tough time getting to sleep last night. I guess I overslept."

The grin that pulled at Edward's lips fell when Victoria's voice interrupted our conversation.

"Awww. You were probably overexcited by the ballgame. That's cute," she remarked, raising her eyebrow in Edward's direction. "See? I told you, Eddie."

"Well, I'm here now. What can I help you with?" I asked, straightening my shoulders. I didn't care if Victoria was dressed in another one of her fancy business suits while I stood there looking like a frumpy gym rat. Edward had called me for assistance, and that meant I had just as much right to be there as Victoria did.

"I was hoping you'd run down to a local bakery and pick us up some coffees or croissants or something…"

"I'd be happy to." I nodded. "Any particular drink orders?"

"Black coffee is fine." Edward shrugged.

"Be a dear and get me a chai tea latte with three pumps, soy milk, lite water, and no foam. Extra hot," Victoria rattled off before turning dismissively to return to the dining room.

Lite water?

Edward opened his mouth once, said nothing, and closed it again. He looked as confused by the order as I was. "Three black coffees, whatever the hell she just said, and some croissants or muffins."

"Got it." I nodded. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Take my car," Edward told me, tossing his keys onto the counter. I wanted to argue but knew now was not the time, not when Edward had a room full of business associates waiting for me to return with their breakfast. Knowing my luck, if I did take my truck, I'd probably end up being late and Victoria's chai tea would arrive a degree or two less than her liking. That just wouldn't do.

"Fine." I nodded, palming his keys before hurrying out of the room to slip into a pair of flip-flops and grab my purse.

The line for coffee was ridiculously long. Even though the temperature was already warm outside, I took advantage of the heated seats in Edward's car to keep the drinks and food I'd purchased warm on the trip home. I then spent just a couple of minutes arranging the food items on a pretty plate before delivering breakfast to the dining room. The group was engaged in discussion when I quietly entered.

"Here. Let me help," Edward offered, rising once more to take the plate of pastries from my hand.

"Thank you." I smiled. I returned to the kitchen to retrieve the drinks and then walked around the table, delivering hot coffee to the people who continued their debate.

"I think 'Cullen's Kids' is the most appropriate name." Victoria didn't even glance at me as I placed her drink in front of her. "It will look great on letterhead."

"I've already told you that I don't want to use my name!" Edward's cheeks were flushed, and he didn't look happy.

"Your name is what's going to bring in the big donations," Victoria replied. "From a marketing viewpoint—"

"I don't care." Edward stubbornly shook his head.

"She does make sense," one of the men suggested. "Start-up charities tend to be more successful when a big name is attached and easily identifiable."

"But the project isn't about _me_."

"Eddie, think about it." Victoria put her hand on Edward's arm. "In my opinion—"

"No." Edward moved his arm away from her. "While I count on you all as my advisors, I'm standing firm on this one. In _my_ opinion," he began, looking sharply at Victoria, "a lot of professional athletes these days are adding charitable foundations to their contracts only for a media boost. I'm not trying to make myself more popular by starting this foundation. I don't want it to be named Cullen anything. The goal is to help all children with _all_ abilities enjoy the sport!"

His words stopped me in my tracks, and Victoria gave me a nasty look while reaching for her drink. She took a sip and made a face.

"You're trying to level the playing field?" I asked, feeling awed by Edward's passionate speech.

"What?" He looked up at me.

"I'm sorry." I blushed, surprised that I'd unintentionally spoken out loud. "I didn't mean to listen in."

"No. What did you say?" Edward put his palm out in a motion to silence the table. I bit my lip and looked around.

"It doesn't matter." I shook my head immediately. "I didn't even know you had a charity."

"I made it a priority in my agreement when the Cardinals offered me a contract," Edward explained. "We're still in the planning process."

"But we're about two months behind on getting it started, and at the moment, we can't even agree upon a name," one of the men at the table added.

"And your goal is to help children of all abilities enjoy baseball?" I repeated Edward's words.

"At the most basic level," he nodded. "Yes."

"So you're leveling the playing field." I shrugged. "A charity that focuses on inclusion. I think that's great."

"Level Playing Field," Edward echoed me. "LPF. I like that. Write that down," he told the man in front of him. "It's better than anything else we've come up with!"

"I've just decided I don't think I want any more caffeine today. Could you be a sweetheart and get rid of this for me please?" Victoria handed me her cup with a fake-looking smile on her face. "I'll have a glass of mineral water with a twist of lime instead. Thanks, sweetie."

I took the cup from Victoria, but all I really wanted to do was to pour the extra-hot liquid over her head. Instead, I went to the kitchen and poured her the drink she requested. Not wanting to disrupt their business meeting any further, I silently returned, put the water in front of Victoria on the table, and left before she could tell me she wanted seven ice cubes instead of eight. I didn't know if she was truly that high maintenance or if she was being difficult on purpose. Either way, I was happy to let them all focus on their work while I got busy with my own.

Edward found me about an hour later, sitting at my desk in the small office just off the kitchen.

"Did you need something?" I asked, dropping my pen on my task list.

"No. We've wrapped it up. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to get ready to head over to the stadium."

"Okay." I smiled.

"Thank you for your help today." Edward leaned in the doorway. "I have to say, you surprise me, Miss Swan."

"How so?"

"Well, you might've helped us come up with a name for my foundation." He grinned.

"Happy to help." I leaned back in my chair.

"How do you know about this stuff?" He narrowed his eyes a little. "You were a teacher, right?"

"Are you telling me you still haven't read through my resume?" I asked. I remembered quite well the way Edward had roughly shoved my portfolio aside at our initial interview. Edward's cheeks turned red, which was all the answer I needed.

"I trusted Alice in the hiring process."

"Ahh." I rolled my eyes. "Well, if you'd looked, you'd see I have a degree in Special Education. Inclusion is something I feel very strongly about, so I can say, with all honesty, that _you_ impress _me_ , Edward. I had no idea it was a cause you supported."

"There's a lot you don't know about me." Edward frowned. I bit my lip. I'd been thinking the very same thing.

"There's a lot we don't know about each other." I replied. "Maybe we should work on that."

"Would it be out of line for me to ask you to wait up for me tonight?" Edward asked. "My flight leaves in the morning, and I really don't want to wait until I'm home again to speak with you about this."

"I'll wait up." I smiled.

"I'll bring you home a win." He winked at me before turning to leave. Damn. His confidence was sexy. Add to the fact I'd just learned he was working to set up a charitable foundation for children with special needs? Oh, boy. Was I in trouble.

I watched the game that night while chatting with Angela about wedding plans on my computer. Baseball's a very fickle sport. When I went to the stadium to watch the Cardinals play against the Cubs, it had been a back-and-forth battle until the end, but this game? It looked like the Cardinals were playing a completely different team. The Cubs defense blew it, and the offense was no match for our bullpen. The Cardinals won the game eleven to nothing. Even though Edward had added another homerun to his record, he'd been on base three times. I knew he'd be in a good mood when he returned home.

I ended my conversation with Angela and watched the game recap on the local news before I went downstairs to prepare for my talk with Edward. The girly side of me wanted to dress up and look pretty, but knowing Edward had seen me look my worst earlier in the day, I didn't want to be quite so obvious. I showered and left my hair down to dry, dressed in a tank top and pajama pants, and made sure to brush my teeth really well, just in case our attempt at talking went as well as last time. I then grabbed a bottle of water to go wait outside on the patio.

Admittedly, I dozed off in a lounge chair while waiting for him.

"Bella?" Edward woke me, gently shaking my shoulder.

"Hmm?" I turned and rubbed my cheek against the top of his hand before I was awake enough to realize what I was doing. Almost immediately, I came to and sat up, thankful the darkness hid the heat of my face.

"I didn't want to wake you." Edward's deep voice made me shiver. "You looked so peaceful, but I didn't think you'd be happy if I left you to sleep outside all night."

"I'm sorry." I yawned, watching Edward pull a lounge chair over to where I sat. The moonlight offered just enough light for me to see him stretch his large body down to lay back. "It's nice out here."

"Yes, it is." I nodded. "Perfect weather for baseball. You played an awesome game tonight."

"I'm surprised." Edward nodded. "I didn't sleep well last night, either."

"No?"

"Nope. I should try your warm milk trick sometime." The chorus of crickets sang between us while we sat quietly for a moment. "Thank you for waiting up for me."

"You're welcome." I smiled. "The only way we're going to get to know each other is if we make time to talk, right?"

"Right." Edward dragged out the word on a sort of sigh. He sounded unsure, and that worried me.

"Edward?"

"I'm sorry." He looked up, and I could see the reflection of the distant stars put faint shimmers in his eyes. "I have a really tough time opening up to people."

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable." I leaned back and rolled to lay on my hip, looking at him.

"No, no. It's fine," he shook his head. "It's just that I spend most of my time with a bunch of men, you know? We don't usually sit around and talk about our feelings and shit."

"Okay. So why don't you just talk to me like I'm one of the guys?" At that, Edward snorted a little and shook his head. "What?" I asked.

"That, I'm guessing, will be impossible, Miss Swan."

"What? I can't be one of the bros?" I teased.

"Not while you're lying over there, smelling like a fresh-picked strawberry, and wearing clothes like that…"

"Huh?" I blinked, surprised by his words. "I showered and dressed for bed."

"And your shampoo is more distracting than a bottle of expensive perfume." Edward laughed lightly. "I don't think you realize how completely and utterly…" He shook his head again. "Let's just say I can't think of you like one of the guys, all right?"

"Okay," I mumbled. "So…"

"This feels awkward." Edward sighed. "It's like I'm stuck in the hotbox between third and home plate and I don't know which way to run—"

"Oh, God." I groaned and closed my eyes. "Please no baseball analogies tonight."

"I do that, huh?"

"You do that." I looked over at him. "The last time we talked, you had me as confused as if I'd been watching the Laurel and HardyAbbot and Costello 'Who's on First?' skit."

"That was actually Abbot and Costello."

"Edward…"

"Sorry," he chuckled. "You

"You can take the guy outta the dirt, but you can't take the dirt out of the guy."

"See? I don't know what that means!"

"I _am_ baseball, Bella." Edward sighed. "It's pretty much all I'm good at, all that makes sense to me."

"I think you're good at a lot of things," I promptly argued. "Like this foundation you're starting. I mean, wow, Edward. You really floored me. I had no idea! How in the world did you decide on a cause like that to use as a focus for a foundation?"

"It's been a goal of mine since Jackie was diagnosed with autism."

"Jackie?"

"Jackie." Edward rolled over onto his hip to mimic my pose, looking at me. "My son."

I paused for a moment and let that bit of news settle in. Jackie. The boy I'd met with Alice? He was Edward's son?

"Is something wrong?" Edward asked, quietly.

"I need a minute to process," I replied truthfully, holding up one finger.

"Are you shocked to hear my son has autism?" Edward asked. "I didn't think you'd be the type scared by that. You know, with your teaching experience and all…"

"That's not it." I quickly shook off the suggestion. "Edward? You want the truth?"

"Of course."

"I didn't know Jackie was _your_ son," I replied. "Alice told me he was her nephew, but she also mentioned that your brother and sister have children. I just assumed…"

"Ahh." Edward nodded. "I guess that makes sense. Jackie's the single, most important person in my life. If I don't talk about him much, it's because I would do anything— _anything_ —to protect him."

"I understand." I nodded.

"There are people who would use him to try to get to me." Edward groaned. "Fame? It's a double-edged sword. When you're a kid with stars in your eyes? You dream about getting into the majors and becoming one of the greats. What you don't realize is that when you actually get famous for what you do, people think they know you. There's a huge lack of privacy. I want to give Jackie the world—that's why I do what I do—but I don't want to give Jackie _to_ the world. Does that make sense?"

"Perfect sense." I nodded. "And your ex-wife?"

"Lauren." Edward nodded. "We met when I was playing ball in college; she was at one of my games. She supported me when I dropped out and had to play in the farm league."

"What happened with the two of you?"

"Baseball." Edward smiled, looking sad. "The same thing that brought us together tore us apart."

"Do you feel like talking about that?"

"Sure." He pulled up one shoulder. "I don't mind. I mean, this is what we're out here for, right?"

"Right."

"Lauren knew what she was in for when we first started dating. She knew my schedule was shitty, but we dealt with that and made it work. When she found out she was pregnant, we decided to get married, but we were just kids. I was barely twenty-one, and she was only twenty. I was playing ball, and she was trying to finish college and bagging groceries part-time for money. We rented a little basement apartment, because it was all we could afford.

"Playing in the minors doesn't pay shit, but I was hustling, trying to get noticed. I wasn't around for most of Lauren's pregnancy because I was always on the road. Even when I was home, well, it was rough."

"She was on her own a lot."

"Yeah. When Jackie was born, things got better for a little while, but right around the time Jackie turned two, a couple of things happened. First, I got called up to the majors. Second, around that same time, Lauren started to worry Jackie wasn't talking yet. She'd been around Rosalie and Emmett's children and saw that Jackie seemed behind the bar, so she took him to have him tested."

"And they diagnosed him with autism?"

"PDD-NOS," Edward told me.

"Pervasive developmental disorder."

"Not otherwise specified." Edward nodded. "It's nice to talk to someone who knows what in the hell I'm talking about."

"So he was on the spectrum."

"He tested all over the place." Edward shook his head. "I didn't understand any of it back then, and Lauren was left to handle everything on her own—doctors, therapists. I thought I was doing everything right. I was playing ball for a major league team, and money had started coming in. We bought a house, and I was able to move Lauren and Jackie out of that shithole apartment." He paused for a minute and closed his eyes. "But she needed more from me than a paycheck. I wasn't there for her, and I wasn't there for my son."

"Lauren had a lot to deal with," I mumbled. "But you were doing the best you could."

"Was I?" Edward asked. "You know what? Sometimes I think it was easier for me to be away. My father was a real son of a bitch, a mean bastard. I think, back then, I was worried I'd take after him and not be a good father."

"Your father was abusive," I replied. "Alice told me."

"He used to lock me in my room while he beat my mother," Edward quietly disclosed. I felt tears prick my eyes as he continued. "I'd never lay a hand on Lauren. Or my son." Edward shook his head. "But I deserted them. Isn't that almost as bad?"

"I can't understand how you can compare yourself to a monster like that." My heart clenched tightly, feeling pain for the man who sat beside me. "It's nowhere near the same thing."

"Lauren was completely on her own. She's a terrific person, Bella, one of my best friends, and we'll always care about each other, but Lauren spent too long handling all of this stuff by herself. She was my wife, and yet, she was living like a single mother."

"So you got a divorce."

"I wanted her to be happy." Edward smiled, looking sad. "She deserves it, and Jackie does, too. Lauren's married to Eric now. He's a great guy who works in real estate and keeps regular hours."

"Do you… still love her?" I whispered.

"Lauren?" Edward's eyebrows shot up. "Oh. Not like that. I have respect for her and always will, but I'm not sure I was ever really _in_ love with her. I don't think she was ever in love with me, either."

"But you were married."

"She was the one who stuck by me through the hard years, you know? I owed it to her to try to make it work. Lauren always loved the idea of me making it in baseball until she realized that I'd be married to my profession. It's not a life for everyone. It wasn't a life for her."

"Do you get to spend much time with Jackie?"

"Not as much now." Edward frowned. "We talk almost every day on the phone or through video chat, but when I played for Seattle, I spent time with him every chance I could. I have a house just down the road from theirs. That's where I live during the off-season."

"It must've been hard to move to St. Louis."

"It was an adjustment." Edward nodded. "But that's why I want to work hard to make this place a home. Jackie's going to be eight this year, and he's doing really well in school. We think he'll be old enough to handle spending a little more time here with me soon. And I'll still go back to Washington whenever I can, of course."

"I think, under the circumstances," I began, licking my lips, "Jackie's a really lucky boy."

"Because I'm a big deal now?" Edward asked, making a face. "Trust me, Bella. I don't play a single game unaware of the fact that any moment could be my last. I could get injured so easily and be out, just like that. That's why I'm trying to make sure I do everything I can now, to secure Jackie's future will be taken care of. I don't want him to ever have to worry about a thing."

"I wasn't talking about you playing baseball," I corrected him. "I mean, he's lucky you and Lauren have such a good relationship. My mom left my father when I was young, and I truly know what it's like to be brought up by a single parent. She had nothing to do with my life while I was growing up, and now, I can't really say I even know the woman. But Jackie won't ever know what that feels like. He's got a family who loves and supports him, and he's got you, Edward, even if it's simple phone calls and video chats. He knows you love him. There's no set of rules as to what makes a good father. Maybe you didn't have it all figured out back then, but you're not a bad father, Edward."

"Do you have any idea how much I want to kiss you right now?"

I paused at his words, mouth slightly open, holding my breath. His announcement surprised me. It wouldn't be difficult. We were only a few feet away from each other. I could lean over… and he could lean toward me. And I wanted it. With every fiber of my being, I wanted Edward to kiss me. I'd never wanted anything so much in my life.

"I want to kiss you, too," I whispered, feeling my heart in my throat.

"Don't do that." Edward rolled to his back and looked upward once more, leaving me feeling confused and somehow chilled.

"Do what?" I asked, sitting up and wrapping my arms around myself defensively. "I only repeated what you said!"

"Well, you shouldn't have."

"Why not?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"Bella?" Edward replied, still not looking at me. "I've thrown a ball from centerfield and got a runner out at home plate. I can hit a ball four hundred and fifty feet into the stands."

"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked, exasperated. Edward had once again started speaking in baseball lingo.

"Despite all of my outward strength," he said, licking his lips and dropping his voice to a mere whisper, "I don't think I have the strength it's going to take to stay away from you."

I was quiet for a moment while I contemplated what he said. This was it. He was giving me an out. The only problem was that after the conversation we'd just had, I no longer wanted one.

"Then don't," I told him, willingly accepting anything he might offer.

"No."

Edward pushed himself up and away from his chair then and strode several yards away, hunching his shoulders while shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Why not?" I asked, rising to stand as well. "What's stopping you, Edward?"

"How about the fact that you work for me?" Edward shrugged. "I've recently been reminded that it's a huge mistake to mix business with pleasure."

"Really?" I huffed. "Who reminded you of that? Victoria?"

"It doesn't matter." Edward shook his head. "I think… I think it's a better idea to keep things between us completely professional. No harm, no foul."

"And I think that's a load of bullshit." I narrowed my eyes at him. "You're out of your comfort zone. You let me in tonight, Edward, and that scares you. Now you're trying to push me away."

"You're out of line. You're an employee."

"I'm off the clock!" I raised my voice. "If this is how you want it, fine, but you don't get to talk sweet to me. Don't flirt and tell me I smell good, don't tell me you want to kiss me, and don't bait me to feed your ego!" He winced at that, but my feelings were hurt. "From now on, we'll keep things strictly business. Now, please excuse me. I have to get up early for work, and you have an early flight. If our meeting is over, I think I'll call it a night, Mr. Cullen."

"Bella. Don't do this—"

"It's Miss Swan." I sniffed and turned to walk into the house. Maybe after I calmed down, I'd appreciate he was trying to do the respectable thing, but at that moment, I felt rejected and humiliated. Edward wanted to keep things professional? I could do that, and I'd have a few days while he was away to try to convince myself that it was for the best.

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	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

The following day, I stayed busy. I'll admit I also did my fair share of pouting, but there was plenty to do around the house to keep my mind occupied. I kept my schedule so full that I didn't even have time to watch Edward's baseball game on TV. That had almost nothing to do with the fact that I was still nursing sore feelings.

The day after? That's when the flowers arrived.

When the florist's van pulled up in front of Edward's home to make an unscheduled delivery, I felt almost smug for a moment. So, it appeared Edward was trying to apologize. Would some pretty flowers inspire me to let him off the hook? My first instinct was to take the delivery and toss it straight into the trash. It didn't take long to realize I'd need a really, really big garbage can. The delivery man went back and forth to his truck. Thirteen dozen roses had been ordered; red, white, peach, pink, beautiful, long-stemmed roses tucked into pretty arrangements in vases. I was a little overwhelmed by size of the gesture until Alice pulled up behind the florist's van and walked up the front steps, frowning at the display in the foyer.

"Edward screwed up." Alice rolled her eyes. My mouth popped open as I looked at her, surprised by her comment. Had Edward talked to his sister about what had happened between us? Or was this an example of Alice's weird way of knowing things? "This isn't right."

"No?" I asked.

"No." She shook her head. "I specifically told him he needed to start having weekly arrangements delivered. Now that the rooms are nearly all furnished, fresh flowers will make the place feel more welcoming, you know?"

"Oh." I felt my spirits drop. The flowers weren't for me after all.

"And who fills their house with this many roses? We want the place to feel homey. Right now, it looks like someone died!"

Inside, I think I did, just a little.

"I'll take over the order," I told her. "I'll have more appropriate arrangements sent next week."

"Thank God you're here." Alice smiled. "Edward's obviously clueless about things like this."

She had no idea.

Alice and I spent the rest of the afternoon planning for a different type of delivery that would arrive on Friday. A wall downstairs in Edward's man cave was going to be fit with a large custom-built glass display. Alice had commissioned someone who worked for the Cardinal's Hall of Fame Museum to come over and place Edward's most prized collectibles in the display once the shelving unit was assembled. Helping Alice coordinate the arrival of delivery trucks and oversee it all were going to be my top priorities that day.

Friday's rainy weather matched my mood. I tried to cheer up but couldn't quite shake the overall glum feeling that surrounded me. I guess I'd given myself enough time to accept that Edward wasn't the only person I was upset with. I was upset with myself. While I watched Edward's display being built, I felt almost numb. I'd obsessed for weeks over Edward Cullen. I'd told myself time and time again that it was a bad idea to think of my boss romantically. I'd mentally listed all of the reasons I shouldn't even consider it. Yet, when Edward was the one to be logical and pull back from what could be a very messy situation, I totally freaked out and overreacted.

Maybe Edward was the one who was owed an apology, or perhaps the very best way to move forward was for me to start focusing more on my job and less on my employer. As it was, I'd allowed myself to get off track. Ms. Spreckles definitely wouldn't have had these problems!

"Is it still raining?" I asked Alice, who had just brought the museum curator downstairs.

"As Jasper would say, like piss out of a boot." Alice grimaced. "But we'll bring stuff in through the garage. Which reminds me, the transport team is here, so we need to get your truck out."

"My keys are on the peg by the door," I told her.

I already felt better just for having a new sense of focus. I grabbed a soft cloth and helped wipe down the glass shelves so the curator could get to work.

I was incredibly interested in watching Edward's collection as it was unpacked from various boxes and carefully placed on display. The curator wore gloves and treated even the simplest item as though it were an artifact.

"That's Edward's first baseball glove," Alice pointed out. "Doc gave that to him when he played summer ball in La Push. Look how little it is!"

"Do all of these things have collectible value?" I asked, curious to see the small baseball cap that was placed beside it.

"No." Alice shook her head. "Well, maybe someday. A few of these things were gifted to Edward, and he bought some at auction. Edward's the sentimental sort, so he's got his old crap mixed into the collection. He keeps memories more than investments. He plans to give all of this to Jackie someday."

"That's cool."

By Saturday, I felt good. Not great, but good. I was looking forward to seeing my friends at Ben's birthday party, and I'd already decided I was absolutely not going to talk about myself, Edward Cullen, or anything that might take attention away from Ben on his important day. I was even optimistically happy to have learned that a few of Ben's groomsmen would be at the party, including the single cousin Angela had once considered setting me up with. I still didn't feel I needed a date for the wedding, but a little harmless flirting might've just been the thing to help me get my groove back. My feminine pride had taken a hard hit, so there was no reason not to keep an open mind.

To prepare for my evening, I twisted my hair up after my shower so it could dry in waves and took the time to apply a clay face mask. I wanted to look my best when I arrived at the party. Unfortunately, that was the way I looked when my phone rang with my first ever request for a video chat with Edward.

My finger paused over the button that would accept the call. Wasn't it just my luck that Edward wanted to FaceTime when I was covered in green goo? But I gritted my teeth and reminded myself it didn't matter what I looked like when I talked to my boss. With a sigh, I took the call.

"Whoa! Hey there!" Edward's face and bare torso filled my screen.

 _No fair_.

He was sitting in front of his open laptop, rubbing a towel across his wet hair while he smiled at me. He was obviously fresh out of the shower himself, but unlike me, Edward looked as gorgeous as ever. "Who are you, and what happened to Ms. Swan?"

"We've taken her to our leader." I rolled my eyes.

"You do look a little like an alien." Edward chuckled. "Having a spa day?"

"Kinda." I shrugged. "I'm getting ready to go to Ben's birthday party. Is there something you need?"

"Ben? I met him, right?"

"Correct." I nodded. "He's engaged to Angela."

"Did you get him a gift, yet?"

"No." I lowered my brows. What was with the inquisition? "I've been a little busy around here. I thought I'd pick him up something on the way over."

"I can have baseball tickets sent, if you'd like." Edward's simple offer made me frown.

"Thanks, but that's okay. I wouldn't want to impose—"

"No imposition. It'll just take a quick phone call, and I'll have them delivered."

"Edward, really—" I shook my head.

"Speaking of having things delivered," he said, cutting me off. "That's why I got you on video chat. I wanted to check on the delivery that came in yesterday."

"Everything's here, and it's perfect." I smiled.

"That's a relief." Edward nodded. "Can you show me?"

"Sure. Hold on," I told him. I jumped up from my chair in my room and carried my phone at my side while I walked down the hall. "Here you go." Holding my phone steady in my hand, I turned the camera and slowly panned back and forth so Edward could get a good view of his collectibles in his new glass case.

"See?" I asked, turning the lens back to myself. "Alice says everything is exactly how you wanted it."

"That looks great, Bella, but I wasn't worried about that stuff. I wanted to see the car."

"The car?"

"The one that was delivered yesterday. You haven't seen it, yet?" Edward scowled slightly.

"Alice didn't say anything about a car being delivered."

"Take your phone to the garage," Edward instructed. Frowning, I walked up the stairs that led to the garage. Sure enough, a shiny new silver car was parked there.

"Wait a minute," I mumbled, pushing a button to open the garage doors.

"It's a Mercedes-Benz E-Class," I heard Edward say through my phone. "Do you like it?" I walked forward through the garage and turned a circle to view the empty drive outside.

"Edward?" I asked, holding the phone with a slightly shaky hand. "Where's my truck?"

"The transport team hauled it off yesterday." Edward smiled. Caught off guard, I froze for a moment, not blinking or even breathing. Edward might've been able to see the blood rush to my head if my face hadn't been covered in a drying clay mask.

"They did what?" I finally spoke through gritted teeth, trying not to yell at Edward's image on my phone. "You… You…"

"Surprise!" Edward grinned. If I could've thrown my phone across the yard and hurt him, I would have.

"You had no right to get rid of my truck!"

"You gave me permission." Edward frowned then.

"I most certainly did not!"

"Yes, you did," Edward argued. "The other night, when we were sitting on the couch watching game tapes, I told you that if I didn't like something, it was up to me to try to fix it, and you agreed!"

"I think a lot of things were said on that couch that night." I glared at his face on my screen. "And we've pretty much agreed that the entire conversation was bullshit, so why do you think you had the right to steal my truck? Where is it? I want it back!" I felt tears fill my eyes. I was so angry and upset.

"Relax," Edward told me, leaning back in his chair. "I didn't sell it or anything. Not that I'd be able to get you any money for that heap."

"Now is not the time, Edward," I warned him, sniffling.

"I didn't think you'd be this upset."

"Oh, really?!"

"Listen." Edward pulled his fingers through his hair. "I sent it to the best restoration guy I know. Trust me. He lives for projects like this one. You can drive the Benz until he's finished with it, and then you can have your truck back, good as new."

"Are you kidding me? Why would you do that?"

"I wanted to do something nice for you." Edward shrugged. "In the meanwhile, the keys to the Benz are on your keychain. Drive it like it's yours." He put one finger up to stop me before I could argue. "And don't give me any crap about it, Bella. Think of it as a company vehicle. You can still get around, and I can have the peace of mind of knowing you're safe."

"When will I get my truck back?" I asked.

"Shouldn't take more than a month or so."

"Well, how much does your mechanic cost? I'm not sure I can afford it!"

"I'm taking care of the bill." Edward smiled. "Think of it as an end-of-summer bonus."

 _A parting gift_ , I thought. I nodded slowly while biting my lip.

"Thank you," I mumbled. I wasn't pleased with the situation, but there was hardly anything I could do about it. "So, is that it, then? You wanted to see me freak out in real time?"

"I also wanted to talk to you about a change in my flight plans," Edward told me then. "Hold on. I need to get the paper out of my bag."

I watched Edward stand from his seat and move off-screen. They must put those baseball players up in really nice hotel rooms, because I could see a large bed across the room from the desk where Edward had been sitting a moment before, pretty pictures on the walls, a very nice side table, the bathroom door, and… Victoria?

My eyes went wide and my jaw fell when I saw Victoria walk out of the bathroom and into view. She was wrapped in a white bath towel, and her hair was combed wet and long down her back. She walked to the edge of the bed and opened her bag while she talked, not noticing me on Edward's computer screen.

"Eddie? How long do I have before we need to leave for the stadium?"

"About a half hour," Edward replied, still somewhere off-screen.

I thought my blood pressure had gone through the roof when I saw my truck was missing, but that was nothing compared to this. My hands trembled as I hurried to press the button that would end our call. Victoria? Naked? In Edward's hotel room?!

I'd spent days trying to convince myself Edward was trying to do the right thing with me. He didn't want to mix business with pleasure. We couldn't be in a relationship because we worked together, but it was somehow fine for him to hit the showers with Victoria?

I felt sick. Leaning forward, I placed my hands on my knees and took deep breaths. Seriously? Did I need any more convincing after this? I felt so stupid.

My phone was ringing in my hand when I dropped it on the desk in my room. I refused to answer Edward's call. He'd be home on Sunday. He could talk to me then. Instead, I walked into my own bathroom to wash the clay off my face and get myself ready for a night out.

I was still fuming when I pulled up to the curb in front of my old apartment two hours later.

"I don't want to hear it," I said, scolding Jake after I'd heard him whistle while checking out the Benz.

"Nice ride."

"Company car," I muttered. "I'm seriously in no mood to talk about it."

"What are you in the mood for?"

"Tequila." I shrugged, finally smiling a little as I held up the bag containing the bottle I'd picked up as a last-minute gift for Ben. Jake laughed and threw his arm over my shoulder, leading me inside.

"You, Bells, are the perfect woman. Tell me again why I never married you."

"Because you're gay?"

"Oh, yeah. That's right." Jake nodded. "Speaking of, my date should be here soon. I'm anxious for you to meet him."

"You're not dating Tony anymore?"

"Tony told me I'm old and boring."

"That's because Tony's practically a disco ball. You need to stop dating club boys and start dating grownups."

"But he was so pretty…" Jake sighed wistfully.

"Oh, my God, Bells!" Ben picked me up in a giant bear hug and swung me around in a circle as soon as I entered the apartment. "I can't believe you! Best birthday present _ever_!"

"It's just Cuervo." I laughed and pushed my hair away from my face.

"Cuervo?" Angela asked, taking the gift bag from my hand. "You brought tequila, too?"

"I'm talking about the baseball tickets!" Ben smiled widely. "I freaked out when some guy in a suit showed up here all official-like. I thought I was getting a summons!"

"Just about thirty minutes ago." Angela nodded. I closed my eyes. Apparently, Edward had been serious about sending a gift via courier.

"Commissioner's box tickets? Are you kidding me?"

"Is that good?" I asked.

"Can't get any closer to the dugout without sitting on the players' laps," Jake nodded. "Wow, Bells. I guess it pays to have the connections, huh?"

"That was Edward's idea." I put my hands up.

"Edward Cullen sent me tickets?" Ben whooped and did a fist pump. "Now I just have to decide who to take with me!"

"Hey!" Angela slapped his arm playfully. "If I'm not sitting in that fancy seat next to you, the wedding's off!"

Sam, Jake's date, was a really nice guy. He worked as a nurse at a nearby hospital and could down tequila shots like nobody's business. He also had a wicked sense of humor and was obviously very into Jake, which made me happy for my friend. He fit right in with our group, and I found myself having a wonderful time at the party. I had to laughingly insist I stop after two drinks, though, especially when Ben's cousin, Mike, arrived.

I don't know what Angela had been thinking. Mike looked like a preppy jock-douche from a John Hughes movie. With his white-blonde hair, pastel seersucker shorts, and golf shirt getup, I wouldn't have been surprised to hear his name was Biff or Chaz or something equally as ridiculous. I guess he wasn't terrible looking, if you liked Ken Doll, but he definitely wasn't my type.

Unfortunately, I think I was Mike's type. He was an outrageous flirt and tried to impress me by talking about his stock portfolio and a recent scuba diving trip to Belize. Angela could tell I wasn't into it and gave me an apologetic little smile while mouthing "I'm sorry" from her seat beside Ben at the table. I just shrugged and sipped my water. I had no intention of letting Mike become a drunken mistake I'd regret later. Just knowing I'd have to spend time with him during the wedding was enough to make me inwardly groan. I didn't want to hurt his feelings, but I definitely wasn't interested in being his date.

When the party ramped up and everyone began dancing, I decided it was my cue to leave. I really wasn't in the mood to deal with Mike who was standing in the middle of the make-shift dance floor pretending he was a fisherman trying to reel me in with an invisible pole.

"Yeah… Sorry about my cousin." Ben looked embarrassed. "I don't know what happened to him. He used to be pretty cool."

"He thinks he still is." I laughed. "I'm really sorry, but I have to go. Edward's flying in tomorrow morning, so I have to work early."

"Be sure to thank him for sending those tickets, okay?"

"Of course." I nodded.

"I'll distract Mike with my Whip/Nae Nae while you sneak downstairs." Ben smiled conspiratorially.

But I wasn't designed to be stealthy. As I hurried down the narrow staircase, I slipped and twisted my ankle. I would've fallen down half a flight of stairs if Sam hadn't been there to catch me.

"Ow! Shit!" I winced, hobbling a little as Sam helped me get upright.

"Are you okay?"

"I think I just sprained my ankle." I shook my head. Sam helped me to the couch and propped my foot up on the coffee table with a pillow beneath it. He checked my slightly swollen ankle and nodded.

"I think you're right about that sprain."

"I tend to trip a lot," I mumbled. "Damn it."

"What's going on?" Mike entered the living room followed by Jake, Angela, and Ben.

"I…" I hesitated, not really wanting to explain I'd botched an Irish goodbye. "I needed to use the bathroom, but I slipped on the stairs."

"Another sprain?" Angela knowingly asked, and I nodded.

"She just needs rice," Sam said.

"Like take-out food?" Mike asked, walking over to sit beside me on the sofa. I frowned.

"RICE: rest, ice, compression, and elevation," Sam explained.

"Oh! Well, she can rest in my room," Mike suggested. "It's just down the hall!"

"His room?" I stared wide-eyed at Angela.

"Well, the guest room." Mike shrugged.

" _My_ room is the guest room?" I asked.

"It's _your_ room?" Mike sounded pleased. "Even better! You're already comfortable in there. I don't mind sharing."

"Whoa! Wait a minute." Angela held her palms up as though she were directing traffic. "First of all, Bells, it's still your room, but it's not like you're using it. Mike? Just… no. Sam? I have a compression wrap in the bathroom."

"Mike? Go get some ice," Ben instructed. As soon as his cousin vacated the space beside me, Ben sat down.

"I'm sorry I caused such a big scene at your party," I mumbled, leaning into Ben's side.

"It's not a party until Bells breaks something." Ben laughed. "An arm, a leg…"

"Stop it!" I laughed and nudged him with my elbow.

"If you want to stay over, I'll tell Mike he's stuck on the sofa," Ben offered.

"I really have to go." I shook my head.

"You can't drive like that!" Angela pointed out.

"I'll take her home," Jake suggested. "You know I'm dying to drive that new car out there, anyway. Sam can follow me and bring me back after."

With a plan in place, I let Sam and Jake help me downstairs to the car.

"Would it be too much trouble to ask Sam to wait for you at the end of the drive?" I asked Jake.

"No. Why?"

"Edward has this rule about me inviting people over without permission. Sam seems really nice, but I don't know him very well, you know?"

"That's fine." Jake shrugged. He went over and talked to his date before jumping into the driver's seat beside me. "Let's get the injured bird back to her nest!"

Jake knew the area where I was staying, so I only had to direct him down the private roads that led to Edward's estate.

"Wow," Jake exclaimed as he leaned back in his seat. "This place is fucking beautiful."

"I know, right?" I smiled. "Home sweet home for the rest of the summer. I don't know how I'll ever get used to a tiny apartment again."

"Damn. I think his garage is bigger than my place." Jake smiled. "Want me to pull inside?"

"Better not." I made a face. "We can leave the car out here, and then I'll go up the front steps."

"Not on that ankle, you're not." Jake shook his head. "Come on. You're getting the full princess treatment tonight."

I didn't complain when Jake insisted on giving me a piggyback ride up the brick stairs. I wasn't sure I could handle them on my own. Once we got to the top of the veranda, however, I hesitated.

"You have a key?"

"I have a code," I told him.

"Ahh. Security protocol. You probably need me to look away or something, right?"

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek. "You've been great tonight, Jake. Have I told you lately that I love you?"

Jake's hands on my legs tightened so he wouldn't drop me when we both startled at the sound of the door loudly opening just in front of us. Edward stood in the doorway, absolutely glowering. His business suit was wrinkled, his tie was askew, and his hair was pushed out like he'd been raking his hands through it for hours.

And he looked positively livid.

"Oh!" Jake's shoulders relaxed under my arms. "You scared the shit out of me, man!"

"I assure you that it's nothing like the fear of thinking someone's trying to break into your home at nearly 2:00 in the morning!" Edward nearly spat out the words, and I felt like hiding behind Jake's back where I was still clinging to my friend like a monkey.

"Jake brought me home from Ben's party," I offered, trying to alleviate the cloud of tension I felt rolling off Edward. "I couldn't walk, so—"

"You can't walk?"

"Well, no—"

"I'll take it from here." Edward moved forward, and before I could argue, I felt Jake's hands release my legs as Edward scooped me up bridal-style against his chest. "You can have security at the front gates call a cab for you."

"My car's at the bottom of the drive—" Jake's words were cut off when Edward stormed inside the house and used his foot to slam the door in my friend's face.

"That was incredibly rude!" I gasped. "Put me down!"

"Oh, no." Edward's jaw was set so hard that I could see a muscle tick in his cheek. "If you're so drunk that you can't walk, then I have no choice but to carry you down to your room!"

"I'm not drunk!" I argued, pressing my hands against his chest. "What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with _me_?!" Edward asked loudly. "I have expressly told you I don't want you to bring uninvited guests into my home!"

"I didn't have anyone in your home!"

"Not _yet_ ," Edward growled, stomping down the steps. "You think I can't see exactly where your little display on the front porch was heading? Your employer's out of town, and you thought you and Jake would continue the party back here? Fuck if that's going to happen!"

"What?" I shook my head, and Edward pushed my bedroom door open so he could take me inside. Without preamble, Edward strode forward and dropped me in the center of my bed. I was so surprised that it took me a second to scramble to sit up on the edge. "You've got it all wrong," I argued once I'd caught my breath. "And what are you doing home, anyway? Your flight isn't supposed to be here until tomorrow!"

"Sorry for ruining your plans." Edward glared at me. "If you hadn't disconnected our call today, you would've known I'd arranged for an earlier flight!"

"Gee." I rolled my eyes. "I would've stayed on that call and waited if I felt like watching Victoria walk around naked in your hotel room!"

"Vickie?" Edward asked, sounding confused. "She wasn't naked in my room!"

"Liar!" I pointed my finger at him, anger making my voice rise. "I wasn't seeing things, Edward! She was right there, right on the screen! And let me tell you, you really had me convinced with all of your 'I can't date someone I work with' crap! If you changed your mind or you wanted to let me down easy, you could've just told me the truth instead of lying about it!"

"I am _not_ a liar!" Edward's face was red, and his hands were clenched at his sides. "I didn't say Victoria wasn't in my room. I said she wasn't naked."

"She was in a towel!" I yelled. "Same thing!"

"Why do you think _you_ have the right to question _me_?!" Edward roared back. "When I clearly just interrupted a nightcap session between you and your boyfriend? 'I love you Jake!'" Edward batted his eyelashes and did a girly-voiced impression of me that made me grab a pillow and throw it at him.

"Jake's _not_ my boyfriend!" I gritted my teeth.

"All evidence points to the contrary. Boyfriend? Fuck buddy? Makes no difference to me." Edward shrugged, immediately lowering his voice. His face took on a stone-like, impassive sort of expression. "I don't really care what you do or with whom, but you won't be doing it under my roof!"

"Get out!" I raised my arm to point at the door and jumped from the bed. "Get out of my room this instant!" As soon as I put weight on my sore ankle, I winced and sat back down. "Ow! Shit! Will you leave already?" I felt tears prick my eyes, and knew it wasn't only because I'd just hurt myself. Edward noticed and stepped toward me.

"What's wrong?"

"What _isn't_ wrong?" I groaned, tenderly rubbing my ankle. Edward's eyes widened when they traveled down to see the bandage wrapped around my foot. "You… You…" I sniffed. "Just _go_ , okay?"

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what happened," Edward said. "Christ, Bella. I didn't notice you were hurt."

"You don't notice a lot," I said, groaning again. When Edward knelt down in front of me and gently took my ankle in his hands, the tender gesture was more than I could take. Tears escaped my eyes, and I angrily wiped them away with shaking fingertips. "I told you I wasn't drunk! Jake drove me home because I slipped at the party and twisted my ankle. It's a sprain."

"Are you sure?" Edward asked, all traces of anger replaced by concern. "Have you seen a doctor?"

"No, but Jake's date is a nurse. Sam wrapped this for me."

"Jake wasn't your date?" Edward's mood had changed so rapidly that I could barely keep up.

"Didn't I just say that?" I huffed.

"And she's sure it's just a sprain and not broken?"

"He," I muttered.

"Pardon?"

"He." I rolled my eyes. "Sam, the nurse is a _he_."

"Jake's date was a _he_?"

"You have a problem with that?" I asked, immediately feeling defensive.

"Hell no!" Edward shook his head quickly. "I thought… you and Jake were a couple. I'm just a little surprised."

"It's only a light sprain." I moved my leg away from his touch. "I couldn't drive, so Jake brought me home. Sam was waiting for him at the bottom of the drive to give him a ride back to the party. And I wasn't planning on inviting either of them in the house. I know your rules, Edward."

I carefully watched Edward's expression change then as I tried to guess what was going on in his head. For a moment, I could've sworn Edward looked relieved, but in the next instant, he looked almost angry again, determined.

"Fuck the rules," Edward said, shaking his head.

"Which ones?" I asked, still unsure where his mood had landed.

" _All_ of them."

I didn't even have time to blink before Edward reached up and cupped my face. The next thing I knew, his mouth was pressed to mine. There was no confusion about this. Edward was kissing me. Oh, how I'd imagined this time and time again in my dreams. I sighed, and Edward took advantage of my parted lips to deepen our kiss. Instinctively, my fingers reached out to grab his lapels, pulling him closer. Edward moved forward, following my lead, and leaned his body between my parted knees. He groaned, deep in his throat, and the sound brought me out of my moment of delicious delirium.

Wait a minute. Wait. A. Minute.

I broke away from our kiss, shaking my head from side to side. My hands released his jacket, and I pressed my palms to Edward's shoulders, pushing him away. When I opened my eyes, I saw that his cheeks were beautifully ruddy, and Edward's eyes were glazed and bright green. I opened my mouth, staring at him and wondering at the strength it took for me to not pull him right back into my arms. But no.

"No?" Edward asked, brows lowering. Had I uttered the word out loud?

"You can't do this, Edward." I shook my head. "It's not fair."

"What isn't fair?" Edward asked, tilting his head a little to the side and giving me a sexy, crooked sort of grin. I wanted nothing more than to throw caution to the wind and go back in for more, but I couldn't.

"I told you that you can't play games with me," I whispered. "You might have a girl waiting for you in every city, Edward Cullen, but I can't be that for you. I'm not made that way."

"I wouldn't want you to be." Edward shook his head quickly. "I wouldn't expect that of you."

"And yet, you were with Victoria just yesterday!" I frowned then, scooting away from him. "Sorry, but no. Ew!" I pushed at his chest again at the thought of it. "No!"

"Victoria flew in to do press for the game," Edward told me. He stood and moved away, giving me the space I desired. "She wasn't going to be in town long enough to get her own room, so she asked if she could get ready in mine. We work together and know each other well, so I was happy to help out, but that's all there was to it," Edward explained. "I've done things in my life I'm not terribly proud of, but know this, Bella: I am no liar, and I won't be accused of it again."

"Fine," I told him, tossing my hair back. "But you can't blame me for thinking the worst. Alice told me that you and Victoria used to date."

"And Vickie would no doubt like that to be the case again." Edward shrugged. "But I've told her it's not going to happen."

"That's right. You don't date people you work with."

"Didn't we just decide to get rid of that rule?"

"Did we?" I whispered, hating myself for how easily hope unfurled in my chest. I felt Edward's gaze like a touch as he slowly let his eyes travel down my body. I shivered and bit my bottom lip when he focused his stare hungrily at my mouth.

"This is really going to complicate things," Edward murmured.

"I'm supposed to be making life easier for you." I dared to smile a little. "That's my job."

"Job. Right." Edward blinked and shook his head a little as if to clear himself from a daze. I watched him take two steps back and shove his hands into his front pockets while he frowned. Immediately, I worried he'd put a wall between us again. "Speaking of work," he said. "My charity group is meeting again in the morning. It's why I came home early. I'd like you to be there."

"Okay." I nodded, feeling a sort of numbness creep into my body at how easily Edward had switched gears.

"They'll be here at 8:00, which is about five hours from now, so I think we should both get some sleep."

"You're probably right," I told him. Trying to pull myself together, I straightened my shoulders. Edward flipped from hot to cold so quickly, and I wasn't quite sure where I stood with him at the moment. The best I could do was try to save face. "Edward? About that, uh, kiss…" I stumbled over my words. "That doesn't have to change anything, you know, if you don't want it to."

"It changes _everything_." Edward shook off my suggestion and smiled tiredly. "But I hardly think now is the time to explore it, Bella. I've just flown in from a rough three-game series, and I'm exhausted. You need to rest that ankle. Right now, I can think of nothing else but crossing this room to kiss you again, but given the hour, I think that's a really bad idea. If I get anywhere near your bed again, I'm not going to want to leave it."

"Oh!" I felt my cheeks blaze, and I looked down.

"What I would like is for you to agree to have dinner with me tomorrow night. We'll both have had time to think about things by then, and you can let me know what you feel comfortable with."

"I'd like that," I told him.

Edward hesitated once, as though he was tempted to reconsider, before walking away and closing my bedroom door between us. With a sigh, I fell back against the quilt on my bed. Though I could've sworn I wouldn't have been able to sleep a wink that night, I was in that same position when my alarm woke me at 7:00 the next morning.

 **~*~*Reviews are better than thirteen dozen roses. Leave one!*~*~**


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Knowing that Edward's meeting would begin at 8:00, I tried to shower quickly to get ready for my day. Unfortunately, my slightly swollen and bruised ankle caused me to hobble around a bit, and it definitely slowed me down. I wanted to dress up a little so I would look nice for Edward's guests, but I knew I'd have to wear my old high top Converse sneakers for the support they'd provide. Practicality won out, and I donned a pair of jeans and a t-shirt instead.

When I finally got upstairs, I was surprised to see Mrs. Waters and Sarah were busy at work in the kitchen. I thought I'd be driving to the local coffee shop with a breakfast order as I had the last time, but delicious-looking cinnamon rolls and some sort of strudel were already cooling on the counter when I arrived. The smell of hot coffee wafted through the air, mixing with the sweet bakery smells and making my stomach growl.

"Mrs. Waters? I didn't expect you this morning."

"I texted her yesterday and asked if she could work early today." I jumped at the sound of Edward's voice as he walked into the room behind me. He was sipping a mug of coffee while carrying a newspaper, eyes on the local columns while he spoke. "I was going to ask you to make the arrangements, but I believe our call was disconnected."

"Oh… Right." I frowned, thinking of the reason I'd ended our call. Victoria. I'd have to deal with that pain in the ass in about fifteen minutes, but for once, I didn't feel intimidated by the prospect. Victoria—in her fancy business suits, with her perfectly groomed model-esque beauty—couldn't bring me down from cloud nine today. Edward didn't want her. She might be arriving for a business meeting in a few minutes, but I was the one Edward had invited to dinner that night. The thought made me smile.

"How's your ankle?" Edward asked then, folding his paper while he crossed the room. He reached past me to place it on the counter near my hip, the action bringing his body very close to my own. Immediately, I felt my nerve endings jump in response to his nearness. He stayed there for a moment, his eyes searching my face. Concern was written all over his features, and I wanted to reach forward to rub the worry lines away from his brow, but that sort of casual intimacy was something we hadn't discussed yet. Considering we were standing in the kitchen with two other members of his staff, the notion seemed completely inappropriate.

"F-fine," I stuttered, feeling myself blush. "I'll be good as new in a couple of days." My eyes darted nervously past Edward's shoulder to the two women who worked behind us. He seemed to remember himself then and straightened his body.

"All the same, I'd like you to take it easy for a few days. A sprain can take longer to heal if you try to do too much too quickly." He spoke as he walked out of the room.

"I know," I called after him. "Thank you."

"You should sit now," Mrs. Waters suggested. "Sarah and I can handle this."

"I twisted my ankle." I rolled my eyes and smiled. "There's nothing wrong with my arms."

Mrs. Waters allowed me to help ice and plate her amazing-looking cinnamon rolls while she and Sarah carried pitchers of coffee, juice, and water back and forth into the dining room. Edward must've met his guests at the door because I didn't even know they'd arrived until I limped into the dining room with a plate of sticky pastries in my hands.

"Ms. Swan?" Edward frowned and jumped from his seat, rushing over to me to take the dish I carried. "What are you doing? I thought I asked you to rest that foot."

"I…" My mouth popped open, and I looked nervously around at the people who were seated at the table. The two gentlemen I'd served before looked at me with polite curiosity, while Victoria pointedly ignored my arrival and stared at the papers in front of her on the table. "I thought you wanted my help with breakfast."

"When did I say that?" Edward asked.

"L-last night?" I stammered, not liking being the center of attention at Edward's meeting. Victoria looked up at me then, and I swear her look could've frozen ice.

"Last night?" Edward sounded confused. "I told you I'd like for you to be at this meeting, not to serve breakfast," Edward explained then. "The ladies in the kitchen can handle this. Please, sit down." I didn't have a choice but to accept the seat Edward pulled out for me at the head of the table. "Would you like another chair so you can put your foot up?" Edward asked. My cheeks were absolutely blazing, and I bit my lip, feeling shy about receiving so much attention.

"No, no." I shook my head. "This is fine. Mr. Cullen, I—"

"Yes?"

"Pardon me," I asked, clearing my throat. "But why am I here?"

"Yes." Victoria huffed then. "Why _is_ she here?"

"Vickie!" Edward snapped and scowled at the redhead as he returned to his seat. "We've already discussed this."

"You're here," one of the men at the table spoke, "because Edward has decided he'd like to go with the suggestion you made at our last meeting. Edward's organization will be registered as The Level Playing Field Foundation. With your permission, of course."

"Oh!" Surprised and happy, I smiled at Edward. "Well… sure. You don't need my permission. It was just an idea that popped into my head."

"We _do_ need your permission," Edward explained. "If you don't have legal representation of your own, Tom here can help you go over the paperwork. You will be paid for your contribution, of course."

"I don't want to be paid." I frowned as I looked around the table. "I'm happy to help."

"You two can discuss that later." Edward shook his head. "Right now, we need to focus on fundraising. The bulk of our planned activities can't begin to occur until spring."

"Winter Warm Up is a go," Victoria supplied. "So we have until mid-January to have our schedule finalized."

"What's Winter Warm Up?" I asked. At my question, Victoria sighed loudly and gave me an irritated look.

"Edward? Can you tutor your help some other time? Inane questions will only slow our meeting, and I have about fifteen other appointments to keep today!"

"Vickie?" Edward said through gritted teeth. "Can I speak to you alone for a moment?"

Instantly, Victoria looked contrite. She didn't look at me again as she got up from her seat and followed Edward out of the room. I bit my lip, nervously staring at the doorway through which they had left.

"Don't worry about those two," one of the men said. I looked over at the older man who smiled at me. "They butt heads all the time. Victoria needs to be reminded sometimes that Edward's the boss and has the final say in what happens with the organization. I'm Dave, by the way. I'm not sure we were formally introduced."

"Hi, Dave." I smiled.

"I'm the accountant," Dave supplied then. "Tom here takes care of all the legal aspects. Victoria? Well, you know she does PR and keeps things in line with the overall goals of the Cardinals organization."

"And Miss Swan," Edward continued as he and Victoria re-entered the room, "is here for creative purposes. Her experience working with children who have special needs will no doubt give us some fresh perspective while we toss around ideas."

"Where were we?" Victoria was all business as she took her seat once more and didn't so much as glance in my direction.

"We need to discuss renting space for a central office," Dave offered. "I've located a few buildings in the downtown area."

"No." Edward shook his head. "I'd like to keep the machine small. We can roundtable it here."

"It will look suspect if the address for donations is your private residence," Tom supplied.

"We'll get a P.O. box." Edward shrugged. "A lot of organizations get flagged for how much money they spend on corporate costs. I'd like to keep overhead at a minimum so the funds we receive can truly be used for the children we're trying to help."

"Eventually, you'll need to expand," Victoria advised. "Add to your staff. They'll need a place to sort and send mail, take calls, develop marketing strategies…"

"And all of that's fine," Edward agreed. "When we _need_ it. But I won't have critics analyzing our expenditures and seeing we're wasting donated funds on things that aren't necessary. We'll move when we outgrow this table," Edward told her. "But not until then."

"Fine." Tom scribbled on his notepad.

"That brings up the _STACK_ offer," Victoria then said.

"Forget it." Edward shook his head. "We already agreed I wasn't going to do that."

"Did we?" Dave asked, putting his pen to the side. "They're offering your first really substantial donation and tons of advertisement for that photoshoot."

"Would _you_ do it?" Edward asked.

"No one wants to see _my_ naked ass on the cover of a magazine." Dave snorted. I nearly spit the coffee I'd been sipping.

"Arrietta was nude on the cover of _ESPN Magazine_ 's Body Issue," Victoria continued. "You have a beautiful body, Edward. Nothing to be ashamed of. The shoot would be tasteful."

"I'll consider it," Edward said then, surprising me. "Next?"

"We need to think of something to do as a kickoff," Tom offered. "Maybe a fundraising dinner?"

"$300 a plate for prime rib? That sort of thing?" Edward shrugged. "I don't know. It's overdone, and I hate going to those kinds of events. I'd rather just write a check."

"We could offer entertainment," Victoria suggested. "Hire a great band? We could probably get a local group that will play for next to nothing just to get the exposure. One of the KMOX announcers might be willing to emcee, and then we can advertise during game telecasts…"

"Possible." Edward nodded. "But I'd still like it to be a little more… I don't know… personal? I want people to get a feel for who we are as an organization and what we're doing. Miss Swan, do you have any ideas?"

"Huh?" I asked.

"Ideas," Edward repeated. "Of how we can make some stuffy, expensive, fundraising dinner a little more un-stuffy?"

"I don't know…" I twisted the edge of my napkin between my fingers. "My father was a police officer before he got sick, and I remember they had a big fundraiser every year. It wasn't as big as what you're talking about here, but it was for our little community. Everyone got all dressed up and went to the dinner, and then at the end of the night, all of the officers auctioned themselves off for donations. Some of the eligible bachelors offered dates. The married men offered different services, like an afternoon of lawn care. My father made about $1,500 once by being auctioned off to help repaint Mrs. Danson's privacy fence. I got to help. It was fun."

"She could be on to something there," Victoria said, shocking me by not resisting the idea immediately. "If we could get several of the team players to agree, we could auction off the Redbirds!"

"Why limit yourself to the Cardinals?" I asked then.

"What do you mean?"

"Well…" I shrugged. "I just read an article the other day about Strike Out Cancer."

"Jason Motte started that up." Edward nodded, smiling at me. "Former Cardinal. Nice guy."

" _Great_ beard," Tom nodded, rubbing his own smooth chin.

"Random thing for you to research." Victoria scrunched her nose.

"I didn't say I researched it," I told her. "I saw some people at the game wearing the t-shirts, and they caught my eye, so I looked it up."

"Oh."

"Anyway," I took a deep breath and continued. "Jason Motte reached out and found players from, like, thirty teams who wanted to partner up with him to support this cause."

"LPF is a St. Louis-based organization…"

"That doesn't mean nobody else will want to be involved." I shrugged. "About one in sixty-eight children has been identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder. When you consider the amount of children in the US with some sort of intellectual disability and then add to that the children with Down syndrome or cerebral palsy…"

"Those stats are in our reports," Victoria interrupted.

"What I'm trying to say is," I said, continuing, "that with _that_ many children diagnosed each year, you're bound to find a lot of baseball players who are motivated to help. These kids are our neighbors, our family members, our children's classmates. I think if you reach out to players from other teams, you might find that a lot of people would like to donate a little time for such a good cause."

"Maybe." Edward frowned. "Let's see how many guys are willing to help first. Vickie? Your influence is far-reaching, and you know a lot of these men. See if you can get me at least a dozen players willing to do it."

"Do we have a date in mind?"

"Can we get it done during the All-Star break?"

"That's only about a month away." Victoria frowned.

"Let's hit it hard, then. Ask everyone you can think of." Edward shrugged. "Reach out to some legacy players we might know, as well. We can't really claim to be an inclusive organization if we are aren't willing to accept anyone who wants to help."

"But be mindful," Tom inserted. "We don't want any bruised egos."

"True." Dave nodded. "If someone like Edward here gets auctioned off at $10,000, it could wound someone's pride to only pull in $1,000 or even $2,000."

"No one is going to pay $10,000 for a date with me," Edward said with a laugh.

"I know a few who would." Victoria smiled. I rolled my eyes, already imagining her maxing out her credit card for the chance.

"Let's roll with this," Edward said, putting his palms flat on the table. "Anything else to discuss today?"

"I think that's it." Dave shrugged.

"All right, then." Edward smiled. "Dave? Vickie? I'll show you two out while Tom and Bella go over those papers."

I found Edward in the front living room about half an hour later. He was lounging on the couch, watching a fishing program. When he saw me, he moved his body so I could sit down.

"Let me see that foot," Edward instructed, patting his thigh. With a small grin, I settled my back against the arm of the couch and put my sore ankle across Edward's lap. Gently, he untied my shoelace and pulled my foot out, dropping my tennis shoe on the floor. My sock soon followed. It was amazing to me that such large, strong hands could be so extremely gentle. Edward cupped my heel and turned my foot from side to side, using the utmost care.

"The swelling's down," Edward murmured.

"It's not bad today." I shrugged, enjoying the way Edward had begun lightly massaging my calf. "Do you think this a good idea? What if Mrs. Waters comes in here?"

"What?" Edward asked. "I'm just attending to the needs of an employee."

"Hmm…" I scrunched up my face. "But would you be caught rubbing Mrs. Spreckles' leg like this?"

"Damn." Edward frowned then. "I bet she has some gnarly feet." He gave an exaggerated shudder that made me laugh. "Don't worry. The ladies came in early for me, so I let them leave early."

"So we're alone?"

"For the time being." Edward nodded. "Feel like watching some TV with me?"

"What are we watching?" I asked, sinking further back into the cushioned arm rest.

"Some fishing show." Edward shrugged. "You can change the channel, if you want."

"Fishing's fine." I smiled. "My dad used to love fishing. I went with him all the time."

"Mine, too," Edward replied with a grin. "Doc taught me to spit on the worm. It's good luck."

"Gross."

"Maybe, but you get bigger fish that way."

"I'll let you prove it sometime." I smiled, but then my face reddened right away when I realized I'd essentially just assumed Edward would go fishing with me. "I mean… if you want to."

"I can't think of much I'd like to do _more_." Edward grinned. "Well, maybe a few things." His warm chuckle made me blush more, and I covered my face with my hands.

"Stop!" I groaned. "I'm on the clock, Mr. Cullen. Behave yourself!"

"Yes. It's still a workday, isn't it?" Edward sighed. "And while we're on that subject, I want to thank you for your help in there. The auction idea has some real possibility. I also hope you and Tom came to a satisfactory agreement and settled on a sum for you allowing us to use the name you came up with."

"Mmm-hmm," I nodded. "A nice round one: zero."

"Bella…" Edward slowly growled.

"I told you I don't want to be paid for the name," I said firmly. "Consider it a donation. Tom had me sign all the papers so you won't have to worry about me suing you for creative license or anything."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." I nodded, eyes darting to the television screen. "I'm also sure this guy is about to lose that bass. He didn't set the hook…"

I was right. The fishermen on the nature program lamented the loss of what looked to be at least a ten-pound, largemouth bass. Edward and I settled in to watch the show.

Sometime later, I was awoken by a ticklish sensation against my cheek. I opened my eyes and saw Edward kneeling beside the couch, pushing my hair away from my face.

"Oh, my God," I moaned. "I'm sorry I fell asleep."

"Don't worry." Edward laughed quietly. "I did, too. But I'm a little worried, because I think we've done things backwards."

"What do you mean?" I asked. I sat up and rubbed my face, hoping to all higher entities I hadn't been drooling or snoring while he watched me.

"Aren't we supposed to date _before_ we sleep together?"

"Shit. _Shit!_ What time is it?" I asked, jumping up. I hadn't missed Edward's bawdy teasing, and I blushed furiously.

"Don't worry. It's only 1:30." Edward chuckled. "I'd be tempted to give you a hard time for sleeping on the job, if you didn't look just like an angel while you were doing it."

"You're sweet, but you're full of it," I said with a laugh. "I guess we didn't get much sleep last night, huh?"

"Not enough, apparently." Edward scrubbed his hand through the top of his hair. "I have to shower and go downtown, but if you're still willing to go out with me tonight, I'd like to pick you up for dinner. Is 7:30 too late?"

"How should I dress?" I asked, unsure about what to expect.

"Wear something pretty." Edward smiled, reaching out to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. "I'll get reservations for someplace nice."

"Okay." I grinned. "I'm looking forward to it."

 **~*~*Reviews are better than a nap on the sofa. Leave one!*~*~**


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

I was extremely thankful I had several hours to get ready for my date with Edward. All of the clothes I'd brought with me to this job ranged from ultra casual to work casual. I didn't think my go-to khaki skirt was the kind of "nice" Edward had referred to when he'd asked I "wear something pretty." I didn't want to go back to my apartment to find something suitable, mostly because I didn't want to risk running into Ben's obnoxious cousin again, but the truth was that I didn't want to run into any of my friends, either. Edward asking me out on a date seemed like some delicate, new thing. I didn't want to share it just yet.

As soon as I hurried through my daily chores and caught up with the things I should've done while I'd napped on the couch with Edward, I grabbed the keys to my "company car" and did something totally uncharacteristic of me: I went shopping.

I'd always been an extremely frugal person. I bought clothes when necessary and always tried to look for the best sales, so this afternoon's shopping trip made me feel as though I were on alien territory. I bypassed the department stores where I typically found clothes for work and drove instead to the Plaza Frontenac. I knew I'd find swankier stores and shops there and could splurge on a dress and shoes appropriate for the evening out. As I pulled into a narrow parking space between a BMW and a shiny black Jaguar, I couldn't help but be thankful for the new car I drove. I wasn't sure the mall police would even allow me onto their property with my old truck.

Choosing a dress didn't take nearly as long as I'd feared. A pretty bright-blue wrap dress seemed to be waiting for me on one of the first racks I walked up to. The price was cringe-worthy, but I justified the expense by telling myself I could wear the dress again for Angela's rehearsal dinner. Shoes? That was trickier. I couldn't wear the type of simple flats I preferred, because they wouldn't support my ankle well enough. Already, just from being on my feet so much, my leg was beginning to ache. I absolutely refused to wear my comfy old converse sneakers with the dress I'd chosen, and so I resigned myself to dishing out another large sum for a little pair of ankle boots that would give me the support I needed while not looking totally ridiculous.

Finally, the last and most anxiety-ridden decision…

Should I or should I not buy new underwear?

Studies have proven that women feel more secure, powerful, and confident when wearing sexy lingerie beneath their clothing, but does anyone ever really wear lacy, sheer underwear unless they at least semi-hope someone might see it? For that matter, did I want Edward Cullen to see my underwear?

 _Yes_. Yes, I did.

But did I want Edward to see my underwear _tonight_?

This evening was supposed to be a chance for Edward and me to lay some groundwork about how to proceed with this… _whatever_ this was between us. How could I expect Edward to treat me differently from all of the other girls he'd had casual relations with if I was already wondering if I'd be heel up before midnight? With that determining thought in mind, I straightened my shoulders and walked out of the lingerie store.

It was amazing how nervous I felt as I got ready for my date. I obsessed over every single curl I put in my hair. I had to try three different times to get my eye makeup right because my hands were shaking so badly that I kept messing up my eyeliner, getting mascara across the bridge of my nose. I was forced to stand at the sink and wash my chest and neck with a soapy washcloth after I nearly choked myself out by accidentally spraying too much perfume. And I almost forgot to put on deodorant, which would've been a horrible mistake considering the fact I felt sweaty and flushed.

And yet, when I went upstairs at 7:30 and saw Edward standing by the front door, every bit of the anxiety I'd been feeling sort of… melted away. There was a look in his eye as his gaze traveled up and down my body that made me feel my efforts were noticed and appreciated. A gorgeous, crooked smile lifted the corner of his mouth and made me feel warm all over.

"Wow," Edward murmured, slowly shaking his head from side to side. "You look beautiful."

"So do you," I whispered, feeling myself blush. And he did. Edward was dressed in an impeccable grey suit, white shirt, and dark tie. My mouth went dry, and I wiped my damp palms on my skirt. "I mean… handsome. Very handsome."

"Are you ready to go?" Edward asked.

"Yes." I nodded.

Like a gentleman, Edward turned and offered me his arm. It was an old-fashioned gesture that made me giggle a little as I stepped into place beside him and wove my arm around his.

"How's the foot?" Edward asked. "Are you able to take the stairs?"

"I'll be fine." I shrugged.

"I should've pulled into the garage," Edward said, frowning, "but I liked the idea of parking out front and coming to the front door for you like a proper date."

"It was a lovely idea. Thank you." I smiled at the sentiment.

"Just let me know if I go too fast," Edward instructed, and I nodded. Side by side, we walked down the tiered steps to where Edward's car waited in the drive. He opened the door for me and then helped me get seated before hurrying around the vehicle to get behind the steering wheel.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"The Four Seasons," Edward told me, putting the car in gear.

" _A hotel_?"

"A _restaurant_." Edward smirked. "Cielo's. Do you like Italian food?"

"Who doesn't?" I grinned.

"I reserved a private cabana out on their patio. The view's incredible. Chef Colucci's expecting us and putting together a five-course meal. I hope you're hungry."

"That sounds… amazing." I bit my lip and looked down at my shoes. Something I hadn't considered before made me fidget with the small handbag I held in my lap. All of a sudden, I was afraid that I might not fit in at such an elite sort of place.

"Uh-oh." Edward hummed. "Five minutes into our date, and I've already managed to chase the smile from your face. What's wrong?"

"My shoes don't match my bag," I mumbled.

"What?"

"My shoes? They don't match my bag." I shook my head. "It's a little thing, I know, but I guess I just noticed."

"Why is that a problem?" Edward sounded genuinely concerned.

"I went shopping today," I explained. "I needed a new dress, and I couldn't walk in my regular shoes, so I had to buy these. I didn't think to buy a clutch that would match my shoes, though. I guess I was too worried about my underwear, and I didn't even think of it."

"Hold on," Edward instructed. I bit my lip while he pulled onto a side street and put the car in park. He turned to face me then and rested one forearm across the top of the steering wheel. "I can't focus on driving and make one bit of sense out of anything you just told me," Edward said, his fingers tapping in a frustrated motion.

"I'm sorry." I looked down.

"First of all, you look stunning," Edward told me. "I don't know any men who honestly give a shit about shoes. Or purses. Especially those ugly, expensive things that women insist on carrying around that are larger than my gym bag. Designers? Yeah… Don't even get me started on that. The only thing I know is that you're wearing blue, and you look like you stepped out of a dream. Does anything else really matter?"

"Oh…" I exclaimed, stunned by his speech. "I guess not."

"But now that you've mentioned it, I have to admit that I'm very curious about the underwear part, though." He chuckled a little, making my blush deepen. "It's your fault. You put it out there."

"I'm sorry," I said again, rolling my eyes at my own awkwardness.

"Stop apologizing," Edward told me. "Is the crisis over? Can I drive us to dinner now? I'm starving!"

"Maybe play some music or something," I told him as he pulled back out onto the road. "What are you listening to?"

"Don't—"

Edward's words were cut off when I reached forward to push the button on his stereo. Immediately, the sound of an eighties hair-metal band blared through the speakers around us. Edward hurried to push the buttons that would bring the volume down. He looked flustered, and I had to laugh.

"Def Leppard?" I asked.

"You know the song?"

"'Pour Some Sugar on Me'?" I giggled. "It's classic."

" _Classic_ ," Edward muttered and shook his head. "I planned to put in a _classical_ CD, and I forgot. I wanted to impress you."

"Def Leppard is way more fun," I replied. "I think I like the thought of you driving around and rocking out."

"I grew up with this kind of stuff." Edward shrugged. "I've been going through some of my old favorites to try to find some new theme music."

"Theme music?"

"The piece of music they play at the stadium when we come up to the plate," Edward explained. "It's supposed to be something to get the crowd riled up."

"Oh." I nodded. "Well, if you're considering Def Leppard, I'd probably choose the beginning of 'Rock of Ages.' 'Rise up/Gather round/Rock this place to the ground!" Edward gave me the strangest look as I sang, and I stopped, feeling silly. "What?"

"Could you be more perfect?" Edward laughed. He flipped through tracks on his stereo until he found the song I'd just mentioned. "Like this?"

"Only if you roll the windows down and turn the volume back up!" I told him.

The valet gave us very strange looks as we pulled up to the Four Seasons, wind-swept and hoarse-voiced from laughing and singing so loudly. Edward raked his fingers through his hair to smooth it, smiling bashfully in my direction. I pushed my wild hair away from my face, hardly worrying about the way the open window had tangled my carefully styled curls. It didn't matter anymore, not when Edward was smiling at me the way he was, with his eyes bright and shiny and his cheeks a happy pink.

"We should leave," Edward told me, standing outside my car door to offer a hand. "Let's go. Right now."

"Why?" I asked, my eyebrows raised at his odd statement.

"Because the drive over was already the best date I've had in years. I'm afraid everything from this point forward will be an utter disaster by comparison."

"You don't slurp your spaghetti, do you?" I teased.

"No, but I've been known to dip my tie into my soup," he deadpanned.

"Ahh. Well, let's take care of that now, hmm?" I felt unusually bold as I reached up and started to loosen the knot of Edward's tie. Perhaps it was because I felt so extraordinarily relaxed by the easy banter between us. Edward made it easy to feel comfortable with him. I giggled as I tugged on Edward's tie, pulling it away from his stiff, starched collar. Edward smiled down at me and reached up to loosen the buttons at the top of his shirt.

"You really shouldn't have done that." He smirked. "I'm pretty sure this place has a dress code."

"And I'm willing to bet you could walk in wearing a Speedo and a catcher's mask and no one would say anything to you about it."

"Really?" Edward snorted and took his tie from my fingers, folding it over itself so he could shove it into his jacket pocket. "I doubt that. The catcher's mask would be questioned, I'm sure."

I, of course, was right. A host greeted us at the door without so much as looking twice at Edward's casual neckline. "Right this way, Mr. Cullen." He nodded and did a half-bow sort of gesture that made me giggle. I felt like I'd arrived with royalty, and I suppose, in St. Louis, Edward _was_ royalty of sorts; a crown prince of the Gateway to the West.

I kept my eyes on my date as we were led through the restaurant to the Sky Terrace. Edward kept his head held high and his gaze set straight forward. It seemed to me as though he wasn't shying away from any attention he might receive from other diners, but he definitely didn't appear to engage anyone, either. I found his confidence very interesting and extremely sexy.

"This is beautiful," I said, looking around after we were seated. The curtains of our cabana were left open to the west, giving us a gorgeous view of the St. Louis Arch, bridges, and the Mississippi River below. "I feel like we're in a secret hideout."

"We could sit at one of the open tables, if you'd prefer," Edward offered immediately. "I only requested a cabana so we could have a little privacy."

"It's fine." I shook my head. "Great, even. Do you get bothered a lot when you're out to eat?"

"I'm never _bothered_ by fans," Edward corrected me lightly, smiling. "Though I am interrupted occasionally." Edward reached for a glass of water and sipped it thoughtfully before continuing. "People here are wonderful and very respectful. Sometimes, if someone actually recognizes me, they might ask for an autograph, but no one's very intrusive."

"Does that happen often?"

"Not as often as you might think." Edward shrugged. "I think most people don't even recognize me if I'm not in uniform."

"Bull," I replied, calling him out immediately and making Edward laugh.

"I'm being serious." He smiled. "There isn't, like, some huge paparazzi presence in St. Louis. It's not like I have cameras pointed at me every second I'm out in public, like some high-profile players do. Think about Rodriguez."

"I'm sorry. Who?" I asked.

"A-Rod?"

"Oh!" I nodded. "But didn't he, like, date Madonna?"

"Sure." Edward shrugged. "Singers, dancers, actresses, models. For a while, that guy couldn't leave his house without a camera in his face. I wouldn't want that. I want to play ball. I have no interest in being a celebrity."

"But you're considering a naked photoshoot for that sports magazine?" I asked.

"Ugh. I hoped you would've forgotten about that." Edward shook his head while groaning. "I'm _considering_ it. Nothing is set in stone, yet."

"Victoria thinks it's a good idea." As much as I disliked the woman, I couldn't deny her mind for marketing.

"She's probably right." Edward sighed. "Their publication is offering the first significant, and very large, donation to my organization. I can't get us up and started until we get those funds from sources like that. Not to mention, the connections they would offer could possibly lead to _more_ supporters."

"Hmm…" I nodded. "Sounds like you _have_ made up your mind."

"Change the subject." Edward laughed and shook his head. "I want to talk about you."

"What about me?" I looked up at him.

"Well, to start, why in the hell are you single?"

"Excuse me?" Surprised by his question, I was grateful the waiter came then to offer us wine and appetizers.

"You heard me." Edward leaned forward to speak when we were alone once again. "I thought you were dating Jake. Now I know that's absolutely not true."

"And yet you flirted with me anyway? Even though you thought I already had a boyfriend?"

"That was mostly innocent." Edward smirked. "I guess the competitor in me rose to the challenge. Don't avoid the question. It makes no sense to me that you're single. Why is that?"

"Ummm…" I bit my lip. "I don't know. I guess because I've spent the last two years focusing on my work. My last serious relationship ended when I graduated from college."

"What happened with that?"

"Nothing." I shrugged. "He planned to go back East for grad school, and I live here."

"Well, he was obviously a moron." Edward smiled.

"I've tried dating since. Everyone seems to be out for the casual relationship thing now." I shrugged. "Hookups or whatever, one-night stands. Maybe it's because I was raised by a single father, but I don't feel like I'm programmed that way."

"Are you trying to tell me you're looking for commitment?" Edward asked. The expression on his face let me know he was teasing me, and I smirked.

"No," I answered. "Not necessarily."

"Bella?" Edward asked. "I _like_ you. You're gorgeous and smart. You're funny as hell. I don't have a lot of free time, but I'd like to spend it with you so we can get to know each other better… but that's all I can promise right now."

"I'd like that," I answered, basking in the glow of his compliments. "If…"

"If what?"

"If you aren't running that same line on three other women right now, too," I told him truthfully.

"You think I'm a player?" I raised my eyebrow at that comment, and Edward laughed. "I'm not talking about sports!"

"Edward, can I be honest with you?" I nervously pressed my fingertips against the tablecloth.

"I hope you always are." Edward leaned forward and stilled my hand beneath his own.

"Alice told me you went through a…" I paused for a moment, considering which words to use.

"A what?"

"A 'whore phase.'" I rushed the words out before I had time to talk myself out of it. "Her words, not mine!" Edward's brows lowered, and he reached for his wine, looking agitated. "She said you'd dated a lot of women, but she also said you were done with that. I just want to be sure. That you're done. With _that_ ," I stammered.

"Oh, God." Edward shook his head and looked down. "Have I spent time with a lot of women? Yes. Dated? Not really." He shrugged. "When Lauren and I got divorced, I was a mess. I took advantage of the _comfort_ that was offered by willing women. It was easy then. All I had to do was make a phone call. Leave them in the morning with room service and send flowers a day later. Done."

"I get it." I shrugged. "So, you just used them?"

"Not any more than they used me." Edward shook his head. "Mutual arrangements made by consenting adults who knew what they wanted from each other. I enjoyed myself. I'm sure the ladies did. There were no expectations."

"Hmm."

"You're biting your lip." Edward frowned. "I'm dying to know what you're thinking right now."

"I'm trying not to be judge-y," I replied. "That sort of arrangement is fine if both people are comfortable with it. I've never been in that position, so I wouldn't really understand."

"If it eases your mind," he said, softening his voice, "Alice was right. I realized that being around all those different women didn't make me feel less lonely when I was on the road. I'd always been a one-woman kind of man; I just went off the rails for a while. That's when I decided that maybe I should just get involved with one person."

"That's when you started seeing Victoria."

"Yes." Edward nodded. "But that didn't last long. We're too different."

"Okay." I frowned.

"But I haven't dated anyone, casually or otherwise, since Vickie and I broke up."

"Oh."

"I know my schedule is—"

"Hectic?"

"Yes, but you'd know that better than anyone right now."

"True." I nodded. The waiter had brought another course of our dinner, but so far, we'd been too busy talking to enjoy the meal. "What about the privacy agreement?"

"Are you worried about telling your friends?" Edward smirked, reading my mind. "That's a non-issue. They seem like great people. I'd like to get to know them better. Maybe we could have them over sometime."

"Thank you." I nodded. "I don't want to hide things from them."

"I don't want to hide things from _anyone_ ," Edward stated. "Though it might pose a problem that you're living under my roof. I'm definitely crossing the lines of professional behavior. This could be tricky."

"Won't know until we try." I smiled.

"Are you sure you want to?" Edward asked. "Give it thought, Bella. It's not easy to have a relationship with someone who's essentially married to his work."

"I think it's just a matter of trust, isn't it?" I asked.

"For _both_ parties involved." Edward nodded. "Faith and trust, those come with time. If you give me a chance, I'll do my best to earn them."

"Me, too." I nodded. The slow smile that pulled across Edward's face made me feel warm all over.

"We should try to eat some of this food." Edward chuckled. "When the chef visits our table, I don't want him to feel insulted."

The meal was delicious. The conversation? Effortless. We exhausted ourselves laughing and sharing stories. I found I most loved hearing Edward talk about his son. Edward's accomplishments as a baseball player didn't offer him nearly as much pride as what shone on his face when he talked about Jackie.

"He sounds amazing." I smiled over my dessert.

"He is." Edward grinned. "He remembers you, you know."

"Does not!"

"He does!" Edward nodded. "I told him you're working for me now. He remembers you helped him when he dropped his rubber balls. He's excited about seeing you again."

"Will he be back this summer?" I asked.

"In a couple of weeks, actually." Edward nodded. "The whole family's coming to stay for the Fourth of July weekend."

"Seriously?" I sputtered a bit and took a sip of my water. "I didn't know that."

"They just got it all figured out." Edward shrugged. "It'll be a full house. I hope you're okay with helping with the extra arrangements."

"Sure." I shrugged. "When you say the whole family…"

" _All_ of them." Edward shrugged. "Doc, Mom, Jackie, and Emmett and Rose with their kids. Alice hasn't seen any of them since she and Jasper made it official, so they're all making a long weekend of it. The team will be in town, so I'm sure everyone will want to go to a game. And then there's Fair St. Louis. Lots to do for the holiday."

"Okay," I replied, feeling slightly overwhelmed.

"Please don't worry about trying to entertain everyone." Edward shook his head. "Alice will be doing all of that. You'll only have to be sure there's plenty of food ordered and the staff is prepared for extra duties: cleaning, laundry, towels by the pool. You know."

"No problem."

"That's what you say now." Edward laughed. "Don't be nervous about meeting them, okay? They'll be excited to know we're dating, but don't let them scare you off."

"You're going to tell your family about us?"

"Didn't we already agree you'd tell yours?" He smiled. "I can't keep something like this from them. Besides, if I tried, I'd have to spend the entire weekend listening to Doc and Emmett give me shit about why I _wasn't_ trying to get with you."

The drive home was quiet and peaceful compared to the way we'd begun our date. Full and content, and maybe a little buzzed on wine, I could've fallen asleep listening to the purr of the car's engine, but then Edward pulled into the garage and my senses were suddenly on high alert again. I glanced over at Edward, curious about how this night would end. He had a very serious look on his face as he got out of the car and strode around the vehicle to open my door.

"Thank you," I said quietly, taking the hand he offered. I smiled bashfully when he didn't release my fingertips but instead twisted our fingers together and continued to hold my hand as we walked into the house together. Slowly, Edward led me through the kitchen and dining room, down the hall, and to the landing at the top of the stairs that would take me down to my room. He paused there and turned to look at me. I wished I could understand his somber expression. "Is something wrong?"

"No. Everything's very right." He smiled a little then. "I hate having to end our date. This evening has been amazing. The entire day, really. Thank you for going out with me, Bella."

"So… We're really going to do this, huh?" I asked, sighing as I turned to lean against the wall.

"Looks that way." Edward smiled. "But before I say goodnight, there's something I'd like to tell you."

"Okay."

"Last night? That really wasn't how I envisioned kissing you for the first time."

"Oh?" I felt my face heat.

"I was acting totally on impulse. I'd been driving myself crazy thinking about you and failing at that. I sent all of those roses to try to apologize, but you didn't seem to care at all."

"Wait." I put my palm out. "Those roses were for _me_? I thought they were just the weekly delivery you'd arranged."

"When I thought you were bringing Jake back here with you, I was fucking _furious_ Bella. I don't remember the last time I was that upset."

"It's okay." I laid my hand against his chest.

"It really isn't," Edward argued. "As soon as I figured out you weren't with Jake, that you two weren't a couple, I was _so_ relieved. I didn't even think. I just kissed you."

"I remember." I bit my lip. "I wouldn't have pushed you away like that, but I thought you'd been with Victoria."

"I'd like a chance to do it the right way. I can do it better."

"Are you asking my permission?"

"I guess I am." Edward nodded.

"Yes, please." I smiled, feeling shy.

This time, Edward was in no hurry. Almost tentatively, he reached up and ran the side of his finger down my cheek before tucking my hair behind my ear. That one unhurried touch was enough to make me grateful my back was against the wall. My knees were weak, and I felt breathless with anticipation. With his lashes half-lowered, Edward bent forward and brushed a feather-light kiss at the corner of my mouth. I drew in a shaky breath, lips parted, and Edward's fingers cupped the back of my neck, tugging me forward slightly while angling my face up to gain better access to my mouth.

The warm pressure of his lips over mine made me melt instantly. My head was spinning, and I clutched the lapels of his jacket to help me stay upright. Edward put his other hand around my waist and splayed his fingers across my lower back as though he understood I needed the additional support. Slowly and deliciously, Edward pulled drugging kisses across my mouth, over and over again; firm, deliberate, and not rushed or sloppy. Even considering that Edward kept his kiss chaste, I don't think I'd ever been kissed as thoroughly and as well. Was there anything this man couldn't do that didn't make all other men pale by comparison?

"Wow…" I reacted when Edward ended our kiss and stood there with his forehead pressed to mine.

"Was that better?"

"Mmm-hmm." I happily hummed. "Understatement of the century." I giggled a little as he finally righted his frame and stepped away. I let my body relax again, leaning against the wall, and put my fingertips to my tingling mouth. I wasn't sure I could walk at that point and needed a few moments to pull myself together. Edward stared at where I touched my lips, and there was an unmistakable fire in his eyes as he looked at me. But Edward had been in ultimate control while he'd kissed me, and I knew he was holding himself carefully in check.

"I do believe you're going to be the death of me." Edward smiled while slowly shaking his head. He pushed his hands through his hair and took a deep breath.

"Me?" I was the one who'd been rendered immobile by a simple goodnight kiss!

"How in the fuck am I ever going to go out on the road knowing _this_ is what I've got waiting for me at home?"

 **~*~*Reviews are better than new shoes. Leave one!*~*~**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I rarely do this, but I feel like I need to. I've received a lot of reviews stating that y'all think it's inappropriate for Edward to "pose nude" for a magazine when he's trying to get attention for a children's charity. Let me try to clear this up. 1) The STACK photo shoot is supposed to rival ESPN's Body Image Issue, which celebrates the athletic form in all shapes and sizes. It is NOT a Playgirl type shoot. 2) The purpose of the article is to "strip" the player down and get into the heart of who he is. Edward's charity work is a big part of that. 3)Edward thinks of his body as a machine. He eats well and works out not for vanity reasons, but to condition his body for his career. He's spent a lot of time in locker rooms, and thinks absolutely nothing about being naked. 4) The photo shoot is NOT in this chapter. I'm only addressing it now to let y'all know that I read and appreciate your reviews. 5) Trust me. :)**

 **As always, thanks to my beautiful bauble-wearing pre-reader and secret keeper, Pamela Lorraine, who is doing her best to get me to attend the RT in Atlanta this May. And to Iris- who does everything for everyone and somehow still finds the time to edit this thing for me.**

Chapter 16

I walked upstairs the following morning and found Mrs. Waters in the kitchen. She was speaking quietly to Edward, who stood leaning over the center island, cupping a mug of coffee between his two hands.

"Good morning, Mrs. Waters," I said to the woman. "Edward…"

"Good morning, Bella!" the woman replied.

"Bella." Edward nodded in my direction and took a drink of his coffee. "Ladies, if you'll excuse me, I need to finish getting ready for my trip."

Edward turned and left the room, and it was all I could do not to let my eyes follow him as he walked away. Edward made anything he wore look good, but the business suits and baseball uniform? Those were like costumes for the working role he played. I think I liked Edward best in his cotton sweatpants and a thin old t-shirt; comfortable and casual, no walls or pretenses. Just… Edward. His hair was a mess, and he needed to shave. His unkempt appearance made him seem more approachable and vulnerable, and I couldn't get enough of him. Too late, I realized I had failed miserably in my attempt to avoid staring, and I blushed. If Mrs. Waters noticed, she was kind enough not to point out my moment of weakness.

"Laundry's being finished now," Mrs. Waters told me. "Do you have time to go over the weekly schedule for my girls?"

"Sure." I smiled and blinked out of my haze. "We also need to discuss the Fourth of July weekend. Edward's family is coming to town, and we'll need extra staffing. With holiday pay, of course."

We'd just finished wrapping up the schedule when Edward's voice came through the intercom.

"Is the laundry ready?"

"Yes, sir," Mrs. Waters replied after pushing the button.

"Can you ask Bella to please bring my socks upstairs?"

"We, uh, wouldn't want him to forget those, huh?" I asked, moving to retrieve the requested items from the laundry room. "Please tell him I'll be right there."

I hurried to do as asked, smiling to myself. I was wondering if Edward and I would have any time alone before he left. This task seemed to indicate he'd been thinking the same thing.

"Edward?" I asked at the top of the stairs. I'd only been to the top level of the house once, when I'd come upstairs to look for Alice. I'd never explored the area before and wasn't even sure where I'd find Edward's room.

"Down here!"

I walked down the long hallway and pushed open the door at the end. Edward stood inside the room with his back to me, placing items in a suitcase that was open on his bed. I paused in the doorway and looked around. Now _this_ is what I imagined Edward's room to look like. It was very large, very open, and decorated in warm tones of brown and gold, with heavy, contemporary-style furniture pieces. I giggled a little, and Edward paused and looked over his shoulder.

"What's funny?"

"I remember when I thought the room down the hall was yours." I smiled. "It didn't suit you."

"Ahh. You mean the room Alice used?" Edward chuckled then, too. "It looks like a flower shop exploded in there."

"Now that you mention it…" I wrinkled my nose, "It doesn't really suit Alice much, either."

"It wouldn't." Edward turned to face me. "She decorated it for Mom. My mother loves all that delicate, flowery type of stuff."

"Is that where your parents will stay when they're here?"

"Uh-huh." Edward smiled. "Mom and Doc will stay in that room. Jackie's room is next to theirs. I think Alice is going to have some bunk beds delivered so my niece and nephew can stay in there with him. And she's promised she'll get the last room downstairs ready for Rose and Emmett. Right now, I think it's mostly storage, but that girl can do amazing things in a short period of time. Plus, she has huge incentive to get it finished quickly."

"And that is?"

"I told her if she doesn't, I'm sending them all over to stay with her and Jasper!"

"Ahh!" I nodded.

"Are you going to stay there in the doorway, or will you come in?" Edward smiled at me. I blushed, realizing I was still awkwardly standing in the hall. I shook my head and walked toward him.

"I brought your socks." I pushed my hands out to give him what I held.

"Thank you. Would you mind grabbing that bag I left in the bathroom by the sink?"

"Sure." I smiled. It seemed strangely normal to be helping Edward pack his things. I paused in the bathroom, though, looking around in amazement. Edward's bathroom was enormous, and I was in awe as I looked at the shower he'd obviously just used. Three or four people could fit in that glass enclosure, and it had spray jets set in to the walls, as well as a circular fixture at the top that would rain water down from above.

"Wow…" I inhaled deeply when I noticed the scent of Edward's soap still hung in the slightly steamy air. I jumped when I felt Edward touch my shoulder and blushed furiously as I spun toward him. "Sorry."

"You like?" Edward was standing close to me. I hadn't even heard him enter the room and wondered how he'd moved so quickly.

"Uh, _yeah_." I smiled up at him. "I kind of want to live in your shower, Edward. Forget me finding an apartment in the fall. I'm renting _this_ space."

"I like the idea of you in my shower," Edward told me, his voice a delicious, low murmur that made me suddenly hyperaware that we were standing so close together. Like he had the night before, Edward moved his hand up to brush the hair away from the side of my face. "Feel free to use it any time you like. Anything of mine, really."

"Thank you," I told him, looking down. "I'm sure I'll miss you when you're gone and take you up on that offer."

"You will?"

"I think I already do." I nodded, biting my lip. Edward put one finger under my chin and lifted my face to bring my eyes up to his.

"I could get used to this." Edward smiled. "I'm catching up with the team in Chicago. In three days, I'll be back. After that…"

"The Cards will host six games at home against the Pirates and then the Giants." I grinned. "I know."

"Beautiful _and_ entirely capable," he murmured. "How'd I get so lucky?"

"Must be the socks," I whispered as I watched Edward lower his face toward mine.

As he had the night before, Edward kissed me slowly and deliberately. Once, twice. I could tell he was still testing the waters between us, but I don't think either of us was prepared for the way my body immediately responded. Maybe it was the steamy air around us. Maybe it was the thought of him leaving so soon after we'd agreed to explore a new level of our relationship. Maybe I wanted him to miss me as much as I knew I would miss him. As soon as he pulled his mouth away and I heard and felt his shaky exhale against my lips, my mind went blank and my body took over. I raised my hands and pushed them into the back of his hair, tugging Edward's face back towards mine. Boldly, I pressed my mouth more eagerly against his, and Edward responded in turn. He groaned deep in his throat, wrapped his fingers tightly around my hips, and pulled my body flush against his.

This time, Edward urged my mouth open for him, and I gladly complied. I might've initiated this, but I was in no way in control. All I'd done was given Edward permission to take charge of the situation. And boy, does that man step up in divine fashion. I was helpless to do anything but cling to him as I swallowed his kiss and his breath and the deep rumbling groan he made when I followed his lead and pressed my tongue against his. I felt Edward's hot fingers press against the skin of my back, and I barely comprehended that Edward had loosened my shirt enough to explore the areas beneath it. I just sighed into our kiss, loving how I felt dizzy and breathless and strangely powerful all at the same time. It was exhilarating even considering I was the one who elicited this response from him! When Edward's hands rose as far as my ribcage, he tightened his hold just enough to slightly push my body away. Breathing heavily, we both stood there for a moment, just looking at each other.

"What was _that_?" Edward finally asked.

"A goodbye kiss?" I offered, suddenly feeling shy. Edward smirked and shook his head while sliding his hands away from my skin. I straightened my shirt and bit my lip.

"If that's the way you say goodbye, I can't wait to check out your hello!"

"Stop it," I replied. I laughed at his teasing and slapped playfully at his chest. Edward captured my fingers in his and raised my hand so he could place a light kiss against my palm.

"Can I call you tonight after the game?"

"Okay." I nodded, still feeling flushed all over. "I should probably go," I said then, tilting my head toward the door. Edward slowly released my hand, and I walked back into the main room.

"I'm just about done here." Edward followed behind. "I'll walk downstairs with you."

As soon as I left Edward's room, I froze. Alice was standing just down the hall, looking at me strangely.

"Bella?"

Their voices came in unison. Alice had said my name at the exact same moment Edward also called out to me, stepping from his room. I looked between the two of them, uncertain who to reply to first or what I was supposed to say.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Alice asked.

"I brought Edward his socks!" I blurted out, anxious to provide an excuse that explained why I'd just been found leaving her brother's bedroom.

"Not you." Alice shifted her eyes to a space past my shoulder. " _You_. Edward? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Chicago?"

"I had a business meeting yesterday morning," Edward told her. "It's a short flight. I was just getting ready to leave."

"Hmm." Alice pressed her lips together and looked between the two of us. I stood there and twisted my fingers together nervously. I knew Edward said he planned to tell his family about us, but I also knew he hadn't had the time to do so yet. I wasn't sure what to do or say while standing in the middle of what seemed to be some strange stand-off between the siblings. Alice, with her way of knowing things, just stared at each of us in turn without saying anything, like she was trying to read the situation. After a moment, she raised her eyebrows and shrugged. "Well, I came over to figure out where to put these bunk beds, but I'm thinking I might have to reconsider. Sophie's almost twelve now, and she's not going to want to sleep in the room with Jackie and Grant."

"Put her in Bella's room," Edward suggested.

"I don't mind sharing," I quickly agreed.

"That's settled then." Edward smiled. " _You_ can stay up here with _me_."

"I…" My mouth popped open, and I looked back and forth between Alice and Edward again. Alice looked neither surprised nor confused by his suggestion. Like her brother, she just seemed to be waiting for my reply.

"You _just_ said you don't mind sharing," Edward pointed out. "But if it's not okay with you, I can always crash on the sofa. Or in my office…"

"No. It's fine. Really." I smiled and nodded.

"Excellent," Edward grinned. "I have to go. I still have to make a stop before I get to the airport. Bella, I was going to ask if we should invite your friends over. Maybe for dinner next Wednesday? It's a day game, so my evening will be free."

"Okay." I shrugged, still trying to catch up with the whirlwind of conversation that had just taken place. In about fifteen seconds, I'd gone from wondering if Edward would tell Alice about us to finding out I'd be sharing a bed with him in a couple of weeks. My head was spinning.

"Good. See ya!"

"Bye." As if our entire conversation hadn't been enough to clue Alice in, Edward stopped and gave me a rushed kiss on the cheek before hurrying downstairs.

"So…" I said, looking over at Alice. I don't know what I'd been expecting, but her lack of response to finding out about me and Edward sort of worried me.

"So?" Alice cocked her head to the side. "Wanna help me figure out where the extra bed should go?"

"Okay…"

Alice was very work-minded. Edward had been right. She was obviously motivated to get this project finished so she wouldn't have to house any of her family members at her place when they came to visit. She decided what she wanted to do in Jackie's room, and then I followed her downstairs to keep her company while she checked out the dimensions of the spare room and took notes.

"It's not that we don't get along." Alice shook her head, speaking of her family. "It's just that… I've got Jasper's place magazine-ready. I don't think they'll be as comfortable there. And Edward has more room for everyone to spread out. Plus, my Mom is really over-protective of me. She hates the idea of me 'shacking up' with Jasper. I don't really want to rub it in her face."

"Oh." I frowned and bit my lip. If Alice's mother was so conservative that she wouldn't approve of the idea of her daughter living with a man before marriage, what would she think of me staying in her son's room during their visit? As if Alice could read my mind, she reached out and put her hand over my forearm.

"If you're worried about what they'll think of you and Edward, don't be." Alice shook her head. "They expect stuff like this from him. It's like he has permission because he's a guy." Alice rolled her eyes.

"Stuff like this?"

"You two hooking up or whatever." Alice shrugged. Slightly offended by her dismissiveness, I folded my arms over my chest.

"We aren't." I shook my head. "Hooking up, I mean."

"It's not my business, Bella." Alice gave me a small smile. "I would never dream of meddling in my brother's love life. Totally not my style!"

"We _like_ each other," I told her. "Does that bother you?"

"I don't know how to feel about it right now," Alice admitted, dropping her shoulders. "Of course I should be thrilled, right? Like, how cool would it be for me to actually have a friend I can relate to? Someone who knows what it's like to be with one of these ballplayers? A part of me wants to jump up and down and squeal and shit, but…"

"But what?"

"But I _worry_ , Bella. Edward doesn't exactly have the best track record when it comes to making relationships last. What if he acts like a bonehead, and you two don't make it? Then I lose you as a friend, right?"

"You and I were friends before Edward and I decided to start dating. That won't change, Alice."

"Do you mean it?" she asked. "Because you're the only real friend I've made since I moved here, Bella."

"I promise." I nodded. "And hey, why don't you and Jasper come over this week when my other friends are here? I know they'd all love to meet you."

"That would be great." Alice finally smiled. "Now what do you think of this idea? I was thinking cool colors would be nice in this room. Blues and greens?"

Alice left with a long list of the things she wanted to order for the extra room, promising to call with delivery details. I took the time then to get back to my own daily assignments. If I kept busy, I wouldn't have time to worry about everything that had happened this morning. More importantly, I wouldn't let myself dwell on the possible reasons Alice, the eternal optimist, couldn't find it in herself to be happy for me and Edward. What made her so certain Edward would mess things up or do something 'boneheaded,' as she'd put it? It made me nervous, and I tried really hard not to focus on her strange behavior. What I _really_ needed came in an unexpected interruption just a few hours later.

"Bella?" Mrs. Water's asked from my office doorway.

"Yes?"

"Someone at the front door is asking for you."

"Really?" Expecting Alice had worked some of her magic and a delivery had already arrived, I hurried to the front of the house. I was surprised when I saw Jake standing outside the door.

"Hey, Bells."

"Jake? What are you doing here?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"I wouldn't have had to drive all the way over here if you'd ever answer your phone!"

"I'm sorry." I frowned. "My personal phone is downstairs. I've been working…"

"Are you going to invite me in or what?" Jake asked, raising his eyebrows. I hesitated only a moment. Hadn't Edward given me permission to invite my friends over?

"Of course." I nodded, stepping to the side. "Sorry. I'm just surprised to see you. Wait. You've been calling? What's going on?"

"We need to talk." Jake shrugged. "Alone?" He eyes darted over my shoulder, and I turned to see Mrs. Waters hovering nearby, probably waiting to see if I needed assistance.

"How about out back?" I suggested. Something must've been very important for Jake to drive over instead of leaving me a message. "We can talk privately out there. Mrs. Waters?"

"Yes, ma'am?" The housekeeper answered right away.

"Would you mind bringing drinks out to the back patio for me and my friend?"

"You haven't eaten, yet," she reminded me. "Would you like some lunch?"

I raised my eyebrows toward Jake in a silent invitation. When he shrugged, I smiled at Mrs. Waters.

"That would be great. Thank you."

Jake followed me through the house to the patio doors. When I heard his whistle under his breath as he looked around, I giggled.

"I know, right?"

"Wow, Bells." Jake shook his head. "Look at you, all Queen-like and shit. Housekeepers serving you lunch by the pool!"

"Don't get used to it." I made a face. "It's a temp job, remember?"

"Any idea when Mrs. Sauerkraut is coming back?"

"Spreckles." I laughed. "And no. No word, yet."

"Have you started an apartment search?"

"No, but I've already saved plenty of money, so I haven't been stressing about that just yet."

"Ahh." Jake nodded and went silent when Mrs. Waters came outside with a small tray that held our lunch: chicken salad sandwiches, fresh fruit, and two glasses of iced tea. When she went back inside, he looked at his plate.

"Now, is something wrong?"

"I expected the crust cut off," Jake joked, poking at his sandwich.

"Shut up!" I laughingly scolded my friend. "I'm not talking about the food. What brought you out here to see me? You said you were blowing up my phone…"

"Yeah. Well, I should've brought you a bill."

"A bill?"

"Professional cleaning. For the carpet in my store."

"Have you been sniffing glue?" I asked. "I'm totally confused right now."

"Then you know how _I_ felt when your boyfriend decided to stop by the book store this morning!"

"My what?" I sputtered over my drink of tea and had to wipe my mouth.

"Yeah. That's pretty much the reaction I had." Jake nodded. "And then there was the customer who pissed his pants when he recognized it was Edward Cullen who'd just walked through the door. Thus, the cleaning bill."

"You aren't serious."

"About everything but the pee." Jake nodded. "But the guy totally looked like he was going to wet himself. It was kinda funny, Bells."

"Wait." I shook my head. "Edward's in Chicago."

"Well, he probably is _now_ , but he stopped by the store a few hours ago."

"For what?"

"Well, that's what I wanted to know!" Jake took a large bite of his sandwich and moaned. "Damn! This is good!"

"Jake? Stay with me," I instructed. "What was Edward doing at your store?"

"He signed an autograph and took a selfie."

"What?"

"For my customer. Have you been listening?"

"I'm trying." I closed my eyes and shook my head.

"The guy bought some book on the history of baseball in St. Louis. Edward signed it for him and then let the guy take a selfie of the two of them together. He was really cool about it, Bells."

"But did he say why he stopped by in the first place?" I asked. "It's not like your place is in the direct path of the airport, Jake."

"Oh, I know," My friend nodded. "Which is what I told him when he gave me some stupid excuse about needing to pick up a book to read during his flight."

"That's what he said?" I was thoroughly confused. Was _that_ the stop Edward had mentioned he needed to make before going to the airport?

"Yeah, but when I called him on it, he admitted he'd come by to talk to me."

"About what?"

"Are you going to eat all of that?" Jake asked, pointing to my plate. I gave him one half of my sandwich as a bribe to get him to continue his story.

"Jake?"

"Oh, yeah. Right." Jake wiped his mouth and smiled. "I'm not usually so sketchy, Bells. I'm just having fun watching you squirm."

"I'm about to get up and choke you," I admitted.

"You could've avoided all of this if you'd just call me like you should. Why did I have to wait to hear from Edward that you two are an item now?"

"I…" My mouth popped open. "Is that what he told you?"

" _Asked_ is more like it." Jake smiled. "I swear, it was like some old-timey romantic sort of thing, Bells. He said that since your father isn't with us anymore, he felt like he should ask for _my_ permission to start dating you."

"For real?" My eyebrows shot up. I felt my face flush, and I covered my cheeks with my hands.

"For really real." Jake laughed. "He told me his intentions were good and all of that stuff. I played the overprotective, gay older brother role and told him I'd kick his ass if he hurt you. It was all very dramatic."

"I can't believe this."

"Anyway, I've been trying to call you since he left the store, but you weren't answering, so… Is this where we'll all party next Wednesday?"

"Wait." I put my hand up. "Did Edward tell you we're having a party?"

"He said you were going to invite people over for dinner." Jake shrugged. "I think we should do it out here and have fun in the pool."

"I need… a minute." I pushed my plate aside and crossed my arms on the table in front of me, putting my forehead down into my arms.

"You okay, Bells?"

"Everything's suddenly moving so fast," I muttered. "I mean, we had one date. _One_ date, Jake. We went out to dinner last night, and I'm already going to be meeting his family. Edward's planning on me sharing his room when they're here! And he's talking to my friends, like, behind my back or something."

"Wait." The concern in Jake's voice caused me to raise my head again to look at him. "Think about this for a second, okay?"

"Think about what?"

"What's your number one concern about dating Edward Cullen?"

"That he'll realize I'm not worth his time?"

"You're so full of it." Jake shook his head. "He's obviously into you, Bells. Look at all the trouble he's gone to already."

"I can't understand why." I frowned.

"You were on to something when you mentioned time, though." Jake smiled. "The man doesn't work on a normal schedule."

"I know that." I nodded.

"So doesn't it stand to reason the rest of his timing is going to be, like, weird, too?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you just got all freaked out because things are moving so fast, but you two have to cram, like, _weeks_ of dating into the time that you actually _do_ have together. Nothing's going to be typical about this, Bella."

"Oh." I pressed my lips together. Jake was right.

"Extreme dating." Jake nodded. " _That's_ what you're doing."

"I've never been an extreme sort of person." I frowned.

"First time for everything." My friend reached over and put his hand over mine. "I've never known you to back down from a challenge."

"You're right." I nodded and smiled at my friend. "Thanks, Jake."

I wasn't sure what time Edward would call that night. After watching the game, I took a shower and got ready for bed. I stayed up reading and smiled when my phone buzzed with an incoming video call.

"Hi there," I answered, sinking back into my pillows.

"Hi." Edward looked tired but happy. He smiled and rested against his own pillows in his hotel bed. "Were you sleeping?"

"Nope. Reading. What about you? Pick up any good books recently?"

"Umm…" Edward pursed his lips, looking slightly embarrassed. "I'm guessing you talked to your friend?"

"Uh-huh." I bit my lip and nodded. After Jake had left, I'd had plenty of time to really consider the effort Edward had made. "Jake told me you stopped by the store. That was really sweet of you."

"I didn't know…" He shrugged. "It felt right. And I wanted to apologize to him in person. I owed him that."

"For what?" I asked.

"For being such a jerk the other night when he brought you home."

"He didn't mention that part!"

"No?" Edward looked surprised.

"Nope."

"Hmm…" Edward scratched his cheek. "Well, I wanted to start off on the right foot with everything."

"Thank you." I smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired."

"You played a great game tonight." I yawned. "I was a little worried in the fourth inning."

"Me, too." He grinned. "The Cubs are hot this year. They're a tough club to beat."

"You need to get plenty of rest. Make sure you're up for doing it again tomorrow night."

"Can I call you again after the game?"

"If you want to." I shrugged.

"But…"

"What?" I asked.

"If we lose…"

"Oh!" My eyes went wide as a new thought entered my mind. Instantly, I felt my face get hot.

"Wow. I can even see you blush on my phone." Edward smiled. "I'm curious. What's got you so flustered?"

"Alice told me she shows Jasper her boobs on the phone to cheer him up when he loses!" I couldn't believe I'd blurted out exactly what had been on my mind like that, and I covered my eyes with one hand.

"Fuuuck." Edward groaned. "I did _not_ need to know that!"

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, looking at my screen once more. "It's just that you were talking about if you lost, and it made me remember what Alice had said. I'm just not—"

"Whoa!" Edward shook his head. "I was just going to say that if the team loses, I might not call. I'm not always in the best mood when we don't play well."

"Oh!"

"Bella, when, or _if_ , I'm ever allowed to see any part of your pretty body uncovered, I'd rather it be in person, okay? I would never expect you to… you know."

"No?" I asked, relieved. Smiling again, I leaned back. I also felt much better that Edward didn't seem to be taking for granted we'd ever be in that sort of position. That made me think that perhaps he didn't mean for his suggestion that we share a room to be quite as forward as I'd thought.

"Definitely not." Edward smiled. "This? Right here? It's just about perfect, Bella."

"I think so, too," I whispered. I know it was strange. We were over two hundred miles apart, talking to each other on the phone, but the way Edward smiled up from his pillow made me somehow feel like he was right there beside me. We could totally do this. "Get some sleep, Number Thirteen. You have a busy day tomorrow."

"Good night."

 **~*~*Reviews are better than naked selfies. Leave one. A _review_. NOT a naked selfie ;) *~*~**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

I didn't hear from Edward the following night. I didn't expect to. Like he'd jinxed the team by even mentioning the possibility of a loss, the Cardinals were defeated 5-1. Edward even had an error counted against him when he was nearly lost in the ivy as he tried to catch a long shot at the wall at Wrigley Field. I cussed at the television screen as I watched. Edward looked furious, even on screen.

The following day, the boys in red made up for the previous game. Edward had two RBIs added to his stats, and the Redbirds were set up for a happy flight home to St. Louis. I knew Edward's flight would be arriving at 8:00, and so I had a late dinner made for him and set out in the dining room.

By midnight, I blew out the candles, cleaned the kitchen, and went to bed.

When I left my room the next morning, I smiled when I saw Edward in his gym. I paused, drinking in the sight of him lying back, bench pressing a heavy-looking bar and weights. Edward wasn't bulky by any means, but his arms and shoulders were magnificent, with long, lean, well-defined muscle; powerful, strong. I might've licked my lips. When he finished his reps, he placed the weight bar in its cradle and sat up. It was then he noticed me watching him. For once, I didn't avert my eyes. I was allowed to look now, right? We both smiled at each other.

"Good morning," I told him.

"Come here, you," Edward instructed. I walked over to where he sat and giggled when Edward reached up and pulled me down to sit across his lap.

"You're all sweaty!" I squirmed.

"Does that bother you?"

"Not at all." I shook my head. "But you must've been down here for a while."

"Just finishing." He nodded. "I tried not to wake you."

"You should have." I shrugged. "I tried waiting up for you last night…"

"Ahh." Edward closed his eyes. "Our flight was delayed by about an hour, and then Vickie needed to go over a few things. We called in for some food and hashed out the details for that magazine shoot."

"You've decided to do it?"

"I have." Edward nodded. "I think we've finally agreed on a pretty cool concept, but I wanted to get that all taken care of so I can relax while I'm home this week. No after-hours meetings. I'll have to play, of course, but when I'm home, we don't have to worry about interruptions."

"I like that." I grinned. "Especially the 'we' part."

"That's my favorite part." Edward returned my smile. "Do I get my hello kiss now?"

"Hello…"

Edward tilted me back in his arms until my feet swung up off the floor, making me giggle against his mouth. I didn't care that he was damp and sweaty from his workout. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and melted into the man as he kissed me soundly. When he rocked me back up to a sitting position, Edward hummed happily and lightly nibbled the center of my bottom lip before pulling away so we could both catch our breath.

"I need to be careful with you," Edward murmured, looking at me with heavy-lidded eyes. "I don't want to take advantage."

"You aren't." I shook my head.

"I _could_ ," Edward insisted. "It's too comfortable having you here whenever I want you. You need to let me know if I'm taking too much for granted."

"Okay." I nodded.

"I need to get ready to head over to the stadium." Edward tapped me lightly on the lower back, and I rose to stand. "Early batting practice. Do you want to come to the game tonight?"

"I can't." I wrinkled my nose. "I owe Angela an evening of wedding planning."

"Maybe tomorrow?"

"Sure." I smiled. "I'd love to."

I agreed to meet Alice in the corporate suite before the game again. Any hopes I might've had to not run into Victoria were dashed when she stepped into the private room with a young blond man at her side.

"Isabella?" Victoria smiled at me and raised her hand, waving me toward the two of them. Confused by her friendly greeting, I raised my eyebrows and then walked to join them.

"Victoria," I greeted the woman. Of course, she looked perfect in every way. I felt like a slob standing next to her, but the man standing beside her didn't seem to think my casual getup of shorts, a t-shirt, and a Cardinals baseball cap was unappealing. He slowly eyed me from head to toe with an appreciative-looking smile on his face while Victoria introduced us.

"This is Riley Biers from _STACK_ _Magazine_. You'll no doubt see him around. He'll be writing the article about Edward for their cover story."

"Oh! Hello." I smiled then, extending my hand to the man. "It's nice to meet you."

"Isabella _works_ for Edward." Victoria leaned forward and dropped her voice as though letting him in on a secret. "She lives _in_ his house. Bella probably has all sorts of _personal_ details she can share about what Edward is like _off_ the field."

"Not as many as _you_ do." I gave a pointed look at Victoria. She folded her arms over her chest and smiled, not missing the barb I threw her way. "I'm Edward's household manager." I shrugged, turning my attention to Riley. "I doubt any of your subscribers care to read about which brand of milk Edward keeps in his refrigerator."

"You'd be surprised." He chuckled. "It's nice to meet you."

"Anyway, I thought the article was about Edward's charity work."

"It'll be mentioned," Victoria began, nodding, "but since it's only in the starting phase, there isn't much to say just yet."

"Have we met before?" Riley asked then, cocking his head to the side. "You look very familiar."

"No." I shook my head. "I don't think so."

"Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure." I frowned. "Aren't the _STACK_ offices located in L.A.?" I asked. "I've never been to California."

"Ahh. That's why they gave me this job." Riley pulled up his shoulders. "I was born and raised here in St. Louis. They thought it'd be nice to keep the article written with a real Midwestern perspective. Wait. Did you go to SLU?"

"I did." I smiled then.

"I knew it!" Riley snapped his fingers and grinned. "You were in my creative writing course! Hella Bella!"

"'Hella Bella'?" Victoria looked confused.

"Our professor had us write extended dialogue for _Giovanni's Room_ in the style of the essayist, Baldwin. After we wrote it, we had to read it out loud. Bella read for the character Hella."

"I can't believe it." I grinned. "I forgot all about that!"

"Alec Baldwin writes essays?" Victoria asked, causing both Riley and me to spin toward her. After a moment of stunned silence, we both started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Alice asked, choosing that moment to arrive.

"Nothing." I chuckled. "Riley, it was nice meeting you. Again. I'll see you around! Victoria…"

"Who was that?" Alice asked, whispering as we left the suite.

"A reporter," I told her. "He's writing an article for a magazine. Turns out that we were in a class together, like, six years ago! Small world."

"He's cute," Alice commented. "Sorry I'm so late. I wasn't sure I was going to come tonight."

"Busy with a job?"

"Not really." Alice sighed. "I thought about staying home just to teach Jaz a lesson. He's being such an ass lately."

"Why?" I asked, navigating through the crowd. "Are you two okay?"

"No!" Alice stopped walking, nearly causing a pileup of people. "We're totally and completely _not_ okay, Bella!"

I noticed that her eyes were welling up with tears and pulled Alice by the arm into the bathroom entrance just a few yards ahead of us.

"What's going on?" I asked, yanking paper towels from their holder on the wall and handing them to Alice so she could wipe her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm a mess." Alice shook her head. Girls jostled each other, vying for mirror space to fix their hair or makeup. The room was so crowded and generally noisy that I had to lean close to Alice just to hear her.

"You're fine." I shook my head.

"It's just that… We've been fighting _so_ much lately, Bella." Alice sniffed. "Arguing _all_ the time. He said he was proud I have my own career! But then, when I couldn't go up to Chicago because I had to work, he acted like a total jerk about it. It's not fair, Bella! It's like I'm expected to change _everything_ for him and his schedule! But he told me it wasn't going to be this way! He _promised_!"

"That _does_ sound rough." I frowned.

"Did you see the game the other night? When Jaz tried to beat the throw home and ended up colliding with Monterro at the plate?"

"Yeah." I winced. "That looked really nasty. I was afraid Jasper got hurt."

"I wasn't." Alice moaned and covered her face. "For like, a split second, I actually hoped he _was_."

"Alice!" Shocked, my mouth fell open.

"Not _bad_ ," she quickly added, shaking her head and looking horrified about having admitted that. "Just like… My first thoughts were that if he was banged up just a _little_ , he'd be on the DL for a while and we'd have some more time together. How disgusting is it I thought that, Bella? I'm such a bad person!"

"You're _not_ bad." I hugged the girl. "You just miss him."

"I do!" Alice nodded against my shoulder.

"You two definitely have some things you need to work out."

"I'm sorry I've been such a bitch about everything lately." Alice's lower lip trembled. "I wasn't very nice when I heard about you and Ed—" She looked around the room nervously, seemingly just then realizing we were surrounded by dozens of other women. "Ed." Alice nodded, keeping her brother's name shortened. "I was caught up in my own bullshit, Bella. If I sounded like a Debbie Downer, it's just that I know now how hard it _really_ is to try to make a relationship like this one work. I was projecting my own problems onto you, and I'm _so_ sorry."

"That's okay." I grinned. "We can get each other through rough patches like this, right?"

"Yeah." Alice sniffed again and wiped at her nose. "Thanks, Bella."

"No problem." I smiled. "Now, let's get out there to our seats, okay? Sounds like the game's already started!"

By Wednesday evening, any sort of tension between Alice and Jasper seemed to be long gone. I guess a few days home together did the couple wonders. They came over to Edward's house early so Alice could help me get things ready for my get together. She wasn't much help, though. Every time I turned around, she and Jasper were kissing or touching and generally acting very much in love.

"Get a room," Edward muttered, walking outside just as Jasper pulled a laughing Alice down to sit across his lap so he could attack her neck with kisses and playful bites.

"Big brother's watching." Alice giggled, pulling away from her fiancé.

While having Edward home put a damper on Alice and Jasper's display of physical affection, I loved having him around to explore some of our own. The past few days had been great, but they'd also been very, _very_ frustrating.

I'd stayed up to spend time with Edward after each of his games. We talked for hours, getting to know one another. And the kissing. Oh, _Lord_ , the kissing. We made out like a couple of teenagers, but unlike a teenage boy, Edward always kept himself carefully in check. Just when I was ready to start tearing his clothes off, he'd kiss me nicely and say goodnight, sending me off to my bed alone. I couldn't help but wonder if I was to blame for his old-fashioned showing of willpower. I mean, I _had_ been the one to tell him I wasn't a one-night-stand sort of girl. But weren't we past that point? If Edward was looking to hit it and quit it, he would've done so already. Did he think I was waiting for a marriage proposal? Maybe he was trying not to scare me away. I mean, he _was_ way more experienced than me. But Edward was treating me like some delicate, breakable thing, and damn it, I was starting to feel like I could crawl out of my skin! With a house full of guests, I was going to have to put those kinds of thoughts on the backburner.

Angela, Ben, Jake, and Sam all arrived together, and Edward and I greeted them at the door. To the credit of my friends, they all played it very cool. Though I knew they were all excited to spend more time with Edward and to meet Jasper, no one did the typical fan thing and asked for autographs or selfies. Angela and Alice hit it off right away, which I expected. As soon as we got outside, the men congregated around the grill to talk sports while the girls sat in lounge chairs and talked about weddings.

"You know, I didn't invite you over here so Jasper would feel obligated to cook dinner." I smiled over at Alice.

"Are you kidding? He insisted! It's his favorite thing to do, and he doesn't get a chance often."

"I wish Ben was good with a grill. Or did _any_ cooking, for that matter." Angela snorted. "Neither one of us is very skilled in the kitchen. Bells used to cook for us all the time. Now that she's not at the apartment, we call for takeout almost every night! If I keep gaining weight, I'll have to get my wedding dress re-altered!"

"I'm thinking of getting something with an empire waist." Alice bit at the side of her finger. "Loose and flowy?"

"On _your_ small frame?" I asked, surprised. I would've expected Alice to have some outrageous designer gown cut to fit her perfectly compact form.

"Well, we were kind of considering a late fall wedding."

"Next year?"

" _This_ year." Alice's eyes flickered over to where the men were standing. "After the season ends."

"I thought you and Jasper were going to have a long engagement?" I cocked my head to the side.

"I thought so, too." She licked her lips and shrugged. "Things… happen, you know?"

"Things?" Alice and Jasper had been arguing just days ago. Now they're talking about moving up their wedding date?

"Don't tell Edward," Alice implored then, eyes wide. "He'll freak out."

"That's on _you_." I shook my head.

"What are you girls talking about over here?" Edward asked, walking over to where we sat.

"Nothing," Alice was quick to reply. "Well, weddings. _Angela's_ wedding. It sounds lovely! Is dinner almost ready? I'm starving!"

"Yeah. The burgers are done." If Edward thought his sister's rapid-fire speech was unusual, he didn't let on. "We're just getting ready to put it on the table."

"Bella, can you show me where the bathroom is?" Angela asked then.

"Sure. We'll be right out." I smiled as Edward offered his hand to help me stand. He held my hand for a moment and smiled before lowering his face to brush a kiss against my knuckles. I felt my face get warm and could practically hear Angela swooning beside me.

"Hurry back." Edward gave me one of his patented, crooked smiles, and I felt dazed.

"Okay," I said breathily. As soon as Angela and I got into the house, she started giggling.

"Oh, Bells! How can you stand it? He's such a gentleman! Who would've guessed?"

"He's definitely something else." I nodded. "There's a bathroom right down this hall."

Once I got Angela to the restroom, I hurried downstairs to put my bikini on under my clothes. I wanted to be ready after dinner, in case everyone decided to swim. When I got back upstairs, however, I heard Edward and Jasper talking in the kitchen. I hesitated for a moment, not really wanting to eavesdrop but unable to help myself when I heard my name mentioned.

"Did Bella make this pasta salad?"

"Mm-hmm." I heard Edward hum. "Grab those plates, will ya?"

"Damn. She's hot _and_ cooks?" Jasper continued. "You hit the jackpot man!"

" _I_ think so." Edward chuckled. "She's got my head spinning, though. I can tell you that."

"Bet she's good at all sorts of things," Jasper lasciviously suggested.

"Let's just say that I'm really looking forward to the back end!" Edward laughed loudly. My mouth fell open, and I cringed back toward the wall, afraid one of them might see me and realize their locker room smut-talk had been overheard. I could hardly believe my own ears. Edward just tossed his gentleman status right out the window! I tried really hard not to feel offended. I mean, boys will be boys, right? I wasn't supposed to hear their conversation. But I had! Edward had clearly been holding back on me up until this point. Yet, he was casually able to talk to Jasper about looking forward to… _anal sex_?

"Bells?" Angela called my name, causing me to jump. Both men went silent in the kitchen, and I tried to compose myself as I walked into the room with my friend.

"Did you guys find everything?" I asked, not able to meet Edward's eyes.

"Yeah. We've got it all." Jasper nodded. "We were just talking about you!"

"Really?" I asked then, feigning innocence. I looked up and saw Edward's face looked a little pink, and he elbowed Jasper roughly in the side.

"Can you girls carry the drinks?" Edward asked.

"No problem." Angela smiled.

"Here. Let me get the door for you," Edward offered. And just like that, he was back in chivalrous mode. Only this time, I was suspicious. Who did he think he was kidding? He helped me with my plate, pulled out my chair for me, and filled my drink. Any of our guests could see he was doting on me. Finally, I had to giggle when it occurred to me that maybe I was dating a gentleman on the streets and a freak in the sheets!

"What's so funny?" Edward asked, noticing my amusement.

"Nothing." I shook my head.

We ate, had drinks, laughed, and talked as the evening waned to night. I was pleased that there was no awkwardness at the table. If not for Edward peppering my friends with questions about me, it would've felt as though we'd all known each other for years. Edward seemed endlessly entertained by the stories my friends seemed more than happy to share.

"You should've seen her." Jake chuckled, retelling the story of how we'd first met. "She looked like a skinny little scared deer; all legs and arms, with her hair down covering most of her face while she looked at the floor." He held out his own arms and wobbled beside the table, looking more like the scarecrow from _The Wizard of Oz_ than anything that truly resembled me.

"You paint a really nice picture there, Jacob." I snorted.

"Shh!" Edward smiled at me. "Let him finish."

"She tripped coming up the aisle between the seats and practically landed right in my lap!" Jake sat again and reached for his drink.

"Oooh! And then Bella had the biggest crush on him!" Angela laughingly added. "She thought he was _so_ cute."

"I _am_. _"_ Jake laughed. "Who could blame the girl? I caught her and saved her from what would've been her first university-level concussion."

"I've only ever had _one_ concussion," I mumbled. "You make it sound like I've had a long list of traumatic head injuries!"

"When did _that_ happen?" Edward asked.

"Sophomore year. Roller skating," Angela supplied. "My sorority was hosting a fundraiser. It was 70s night at the roller rink."

"If she'd have worn the afro wig I suggested, it might've cushioned her head when she hit the railing." Ben laughed.

"Enough!" I put my hands up. "Please, stop."

"I've had _two_ concussions," Jasper offered, trying to make me feel better.

"Which would explain why you fell for my sister," Edward teased. "You're _definitely_ brain damaged!"

"Screw you!" Alice laughed and threw a carrot stick across the table at her brother.

"I want to hear about that!" I hurried to switch the attention of the table away from my embarrassing moments. "How did you and Jasper get together?"

"Ahh…" Alice smiled. "Right after Edward started for the team, I came to visit. I went early to a game to watch batting practice."

"Jaz was already a hot shot on the team, and he'd been giving me a little shit since I'd started. I think he was intimidated." Edward laughed.

"Yeah, right." Jasper shook his head. "I _do_ remember asking you who the little doll in the stands was."

"And I think I remember telling you not to even fucking think about it." Edward snorted. "And look how that turned out!"

"Edward brought me over to introduce me to Ali." Jasper leaned forward, his blue eyes bright and happy as he reminisced. "I remember all I wanted was to hear her voice. I don't know why. But when I said hello, she just smiled and nodded."

"And then you said, 'Maybe I'll see you later.'" Alice imitated his southern drawl with perfection.

"But you _still_ didn't say a word. Not a yes, not a no. Not even a _maybe_. You gave me _nothin_ '." Jasper smiled over at her. "Anyway, I thought she was blowing me off. I didn't expect to see her after the game. We hit the clubhouse after the ninth. I showered and did some press stuff. I even grabbed some food and watched the game reels, but when I packed up my stuff to leave, I walked out into the tunnel and there she was."

" _Two hours_ after the game." Alice rolled her eyes. "Which was actually perfect because Edward had already left and I didn't want him to know I stayed to see you."

"Finally, I got to hear her voice." Jasper grinned. "And my world stopped. It just… stopped _._ "

"Aww…," Angela and I said in unison while Edward made a playful gagging sound beside me.

"You told me I'd kept you waiting a long time." Jasper raised his and Alice's joined fingers to his face to kiss the back of her hand.

"And you said, 'My apologies, ma'am.'" Alice smiled. "Yeah. That's when I knew I was going to marry this one."

"So you two _did_ have sort of a secret thing going." Angela pointed between the pair. "But not in the way Bella thought!"

"Oh, Ang, no!" I covered my face with my hands.

"What do you mean?" Alice asked.

"When Bella started working here, she thought you and Edward were married!"

"What?" Jasper laughed.

"Gee, thanks, guys." I groaned. "I'm sorry, Alice! I was just so embarrassed when I finally learned the truth that I didn't want to tell you."

"Edward and me? Married?" Alice laughed for just a moment. "Wait. I think I'm going to be sick."

"It's not the worst assumption in the world," Edward said, defending me. "I can totally understand how she thought that—"

"No. I mean, I really think I'm going to be sick!"

Alice jumped up from the table and hurried toward the house with her hand over her mouth. Jasper got up quickly and followed her indoors.

"Overreact much?" Edward frowned. "She's a drama queen."

"She really looked green," Sam stated. "Hope she's okay."

A few minutes later, Jasper rejoined us with a slight frown on his face.

"I'm sorry, y'all." He shook his head. "Ali's feeling under the weather. I think I'm going to take her home."

"We should get going, too." Jake shrugged. "Sam's working the midnight shift."

"Do you want me to help you clean up?" Angela offered.

"No. We've got this." Edward waved off the suggestion.

"I'll walk you guys out," I told them.

Alice was already waiting in Jasper's car. He made apologies for her as he said goodbye to the people he'd just met.

"Alice said to tell you she's sorry. She's afraid she might have a bug and doesn't want to get anyone else sick," he offered.

"Tell her it was really nice to meet her." Angela smiled. "I gave her my email address, so she can send me a message if she wants to get together to go through wedding stuff."

"It was real nice to meet everyone." Jasper smiled again. "I'm sure I'll see you around!"

"I hate you all." I teasingly scolded my friends once Jasper drove away. "You just _had_ to share my most humiliating stories!"

"You _love_ us." Angela rolled her eyes and gave me a hug. "Thanks, Bells. Tonight was awesome."

"I can't wait to tell everyone at work I got to hang out with a couple of Cardinals players." Ben grinned. "The party was super!"

"I think Jasper works a grill better than he plays ball." Jake patted his full stomach. "He should consider opening his own barbeque joint when he retires."

"I'll be sure to tell him you said so." I rolled my eyes. "I'll see you guys later!"

By the time I stepped back inside, Edward had already cleared the table and was putting the last of the plates into the dishwasher. I watched him work, finding his domestic efforts completely sexy.

"It's a bummer Alice got sick," I mentioned, walking across the room to put leftovers in the refrigerator.

"I hope your friends didn't think they had to go just because Alice and Jasper left."

"They all work in the morning. It was time."

"Ahh. I forget what it's like to have a normal work schedule." Edward frowned. "I really like your friends, Bella. I'm glad we had them over."

"They like you, too." I smiled. I think, finally, they were able to see past Edward's celebrity status to just recognize the guy underneath the uniform I was quickly falling for.

"Does it sound completely weird for me to say your friends make me find you even more attractive?" Edward asked, walking up behind me. He slipped his hands around my waist and pulled me back against him as I closed the refrigerator door. I leaned back against his chest and smiled as Edward kissed my shoulder.

"You might need to explain yourself." I giggled.

"I think our closest friends and family say a lot about who we are, where we come from," Edward murmured against my skin. "Your friends are real and interesting, funny and welcoming. I feel like I know you better for having spent time with them."

"That's because you dug up dirt on me for two hours!" My laugh was cut short when Edward pulled the strap of my tank top aside and lightly bit the skin beneath. I shivered.

"I'm disappointed with _one_ aspect of the evening," Edward told me.

"What's that?"

"I thought we might all get in the pool." I could feel his breath against my neck, and I shivered again. "You've been teasing me all day with these little strings right here. What are you wearing underneath your clothes, Miss Swan?"

"It's just a swimsuit." I giggled.

"No. This isn't your blue suit," Edward argued. He placed a kiss at the back of my neck, just beneath the place where my bikini top was tied in a bow. "This is something smaller. And sexy. And definitely designed to make me go out of my mind all day, trying to imagine what you look like under there. You won't deny me a late-night swim, will you?" Edward asked. When he kissed me again beneath my ear, I knew I'd never deny him anything.

"You seem to have a lot of energy for a man who played a full game of baseball today."

"I haven't even gotten started," Edward promised, making me feel weak in the knees. "Go on out. I'll put on some trunks and join you."

I walked outside, somewhat disappointed Edward wasn't willing to strip down to his boxer shorts to swim with me as he'd done before, but the way he'd just behaved in the kitchen told me that maybe I'd unintentionally managed to rattle the Lion's cage just a little. I was excited to see what might come of it.

He didn't take long to get dressed and meet me outside. I rested my chin on arms I'd folded on the side of the pool and brazenly watched him walk across the yard toward me. Edward looked like some perfectly sculpted swimwear model, wearing his low-slung board shorts. And he moved with the grace of a jungle cat; powerful. Good _God_ , I wanted that man. I stayed where I was, even when he got into the water, so he wouldn't think I'd been purposely waiting where I had just so I could stare at him when he came out. It was totally what I'd been doing, but I wanted to play it cool.

"Mmm… The water's nice." Edward hummed when he resurfaced. I nodded, still looking away from him. I jumped a little when his hands found my waist again, not expecting him to move so quickly in the water. Edward's hands slid down my hips and then pulled back to make a pass up to the middle of my back before sliding down again. This time, he boldly cupped my bottom in both of his hands.

"God, you have a great ass," Edward said.

And it was at that moment when I remembered what I'd heard Edward tell Jasper in the kitchen earlier. Edward was an ass man! And while I'd been fantasizing about doing all sorts of wicked things _to_ him, _with_ him, and _for_ him, I definitely wasn't ready to start _there_. My pulse raised but not in a good way. I swallowed nervously and spun away from Edward's touch, leaning back against the pool while I faced him. No sexual relationship should ever begin if two people aren't adult enough to talk to each other about the things they want or need, but I was very worried that something Edward might want wasn't something I was willing to give.

"I'm sorry. I can't do that." I shook my head rapidly.

"Sorry?" Edward looked at me and frowned. "You can't do what?"

So much for playing it cool. "Butt stuff," I blurted out before I could change my mind. "No butt stuff!"

Edward put his hands up. "I didn't realize I'd crossed a line."

"You didn't." I shook my head. "Not yet."

"Okay…" Edward blinked a few times and licked his lips. "What did I do wrong? Am I not allowed to touch your ass? Or should I have not told you I think you've got a great ass? It's just an observation, but if I've made you uncomfortable…"

"Oh, no." I shook my head again. "You can touch my ass. That's fine. I'm glad you like it. I like yours, too."

"Why is it that every time I get in the water with you, I have the most confusing conversations of my life?" Edward asked, cocking his head to the side. "You're really going to have to tell me what's going on, because I can't keep up with this."

Oh, no. I felt the word vomit bubbling up.

"I don't want to have anal sex!" I nearly shouted. Edward's eyebrows rose dramatically, and he took a step back as though he thought I might reach out and hit him or something. I didn't want to chase him away! Panicked, I started talking rapidly to try to explain myself. "I just can't do that. Not yet, at least." I shook my head. "I mean, I'm not ruling it out altogether, but I've never done that, and I think I'd need a little time to prepare or something. Like, I could at least ask Jake some advice about it, because I'm sure he's got plenty of experience with that subject. But I didn't know you'd want to do _that_. It hadn't crossed my mind! And now that I _am_ thinking about it, I just don't think it's a good idea. Because I don't even know how you're… _built_ yet!" I let my eyes dart down the front of Edward's body and then blushed furiously when I realized I was essentially trying to guess at the size of his penis. Quickly, I looked back up at Edward's face. He looked as freaked out as I felt, which was _not_ a good thing. "You could be, like, really huge, you know?" I shrugged. "And I don't even know if you'd fit in there. I'm not saying _never_. Just maybe later. Not right now!"

Edward pushed his hands up over his face and into his hair, tugging it a little bit as he turned away from me. I watched his shoulders move as he dropped his head and muttered what sounded like cuss words. I stood there, biting my lip. This was not how I'd hoped things would go tonight!

"Say something," I quietly implored.

"You've just said plenty," Edward spoke, not facing me. "Give me a minute to process it all, okay?"

"Okay." I frowned. Was he really so disappointed?

After what seemed like an eternity, Edward slowly turned to face me once more. He took a deep breath before he spoke.

"Bella? While I'm extremely flattered you would consider ever, even at some point down the line, doing something like that with me, I need to know why in the hell you thought I was going to try to have anal sex with you in my pool."

"I… heard you tell Jasper," I admitted quietly.

"Heard me tell Jasper what?" Edward cocked his head to the side.

"I heard you tell him that you were looking forward to the back end," I muttered, looking down.

"Oh, fucking hell, Bella!" Edward started chuckling then, and I looked up. He walked toward me and reached beneath the water so he could grab both of my hands in his. "The next time I go out of town, I'm giving you homework. I want you to look up a list of baseball terminology. The backend refers to the end of the season. I'm looking forward to the backend. Meaning, I'm looking forward to the end of the season, when I can spend more time with you. Damn, woman!"

"I'm sorry." I moaned, feeling my face flame. "Oh, God! I'm so stupid!"

"You aren't." Edward laughed louder. "It's actually pretty cute."

"It's not!" I practically yelled.

"I wouldn't talk to Jasper about you like that, anyway." Edward shook his head. "Remember what I told you about Jackie?" Edward reached up then to cup my face. "I don't want to share _you_ with anyone else, either, Bella. You're special to me, and anything we choose to do or _not_ do together is _our_ business." He kissed me then, softly and slowly. I gripped his shoulders to keep myself upright and pouted when he pulled away.

"Thank you," I told him, feeling hugely relieved. "I don't know what I was thinking…"

"I do." Edward laughed again. "And now _that's_ going to give me a whole new set of mental images to think about while I'm out on the road."

"You… _think_ about me?" I bit my lip, feeling shy, and Edward groaned and tilted his head back.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" He chuckled. "I haven't jacked off so much since I was in junior high!"

"What?" Surprised, my eyes popped open wide.

"Don't act so shocked." Edward shook his head. "You gotta know you've got me wound up like a clock, Bella."

"You hide it well." I narrowed my eyes. I gasped when Edward pulled me up against his body. His hand on my lower back held me so tightly to him that there was absolutely no way I could deny feeling exactly what he was talking about.

"Need more proof?" Edward asked, his eyes glinting in the near dark. "Do you feel what you do to me, Bella? Even when you literally make me crazy trying to figure out the way your brain works and what you're thinking, I want you more than I've ever wanted anyone in my life. So yeah, I jack off. All the time."

"I…" I licked my lips. "Me, too."

"You, too?"

"I've touched myself and thought of you," I admitted quietly. I wanted to sink under the water to cool my burning face, but I didn't have time to focus on my own shyness. Almost immediately, Edward was in motion, and before I could even comprehend how it had happened, I was pinned to the side of the pool and my legs were wrapped around Edward's hips.

He kissed me so hard that my head spun. He was breathless, too, both of us gasping for air. I don't know if I was the one who started rocking against him or if he started thrusting up against me first, but we were grinding together in the most delicious way. The thin little layer of Lycra between my legs offered no protection at all against the sensation of Edward's hard body pressing over and over right against where I needed him to be. I don't know what came over me. Any semblance of insecurity was gone, and I threw myself into Edward. My fingers dug into his shoulders and twisted in the back of his hair. I felt like a wild animal, and I bit at his mouth. Edward was only encouraged by my reaction. He gave as good as he got.

"Have you ever fucked in a pool?" Edward growled against my neck.

"N–no," I stammered, biting my lip.

"I'm _not_ going to fuck you in the pool." Edward groaned then. "It's no good, overrated. I'm _not_ going to." I felt like he was trying to convince himself more than me, and every word was punctuated with a thrust of his hips that made me moan out loud. I felt lust-crazed, and at that moment, I wouldn't have cared if it was overrated. I wanted him any way I could have him. I knew I was seconds away from Edward sending me right over the edge, especially when he lowered his head and put his mouth to my chest, sucking at one of my straining nipples through the fabric of my wet bikini top. I was so very close! I yanked his hair until he came up for air, lowered my face to his ear, bit the lobe, and whispered.

"Just do it. I want you inside me."

He did it, but it wasn't in the way I was hoping. Edward's whole body tensed, and his shoulders jerked forward. He muttered against the skin of my chest as he sagged forward. Edward stopped moving, and I was left hanging on to him, practically panting.

"I'm sorry." Edward expelled a shaky breath.

"Did you just…?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, and then chuckled under his breath. "Yet another thing I haven't done since I was a teenager."

"Oh!"

"Just… give me a minute," Edward requested. I unhooked my legs from his waist so Edward could adjust himself in his shorts. My own legs felt weak, and I clung to the side of the pool while I tried to get my own breathing under control.

"Did you?" Edward asked, coming close to me again.

"No." I smiled, feeling shaky. " _Almost_ …" I didn't want him to feel bad.

"Oh, you poor girl." Edward pulled one hand down the side of my face and cupped my chin, letting his thumb move to pass over my kiss-swollen lips. "You poor, poor girl. I'm sorry. You said that shit, and I couldn't keep it together."

"It's okay." I shrugged.

"It's definitely not." Edward frowned. "No way. Not ever. Not with _me_."

Edward put his hands on my hips and started lifting me up out of the water.

"What are you doing?" I squirmed a little, feeling the cool cement of the ground under my bottom as Edward sat me at the edge of the pool. Standing in front of me, Edward smiled wickedly and nudged my knees apart so he could stand between them.

"Shh… Let me take care of you," Edward said, raking his strong fingers down the outside of my thighs.

"I don't know what you… Oh!" My words were cut off when Edward leaned forward and rubbed his nose and mouth back and forth against the soft skin of my inner thigh. I was so completely sexually frustrated by that point that I didn't need any more of a hint. I eagerly laid my body back and let Edward do just what he said he was going to do. He took care of me. Oh, God, did he take care of me in grand fashion. My tiny swimsuit bottoms were moved aside easily. Edward used his very talented mouth and magical fingers to bring me to what was probably the quickest orgasm I'd ever reached in my entire life. And when I closed my eyes and called out his name, arching my back from the ground and giving in to the pure bliss he offered, the stars I saw behind my eyelids were brighter than those in the sky above me.

Edward gave me one more soft kiss before putting my suit back in proper place. Then he turned his cheek and rested the side of his head in my lap. I lazily pulled my fingers through his damp hair, unable to move more than that.

"Jesus," Edward whispered. "We're going to be so fucking hot together."

I agreed with his statement, thinking to myself how much I was also looking forward to the backend.

.

.

 **~*~*Reviews are better than concussions. Leave one! HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I'm thankful for all of you!*~*~**


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

It was extremely awkward for me to think about seeing Edward the following day. I guess it's pretty much the same for just about anyone after they've had some sort of sexual situation with a new partner. I needed to behave as if what had occurred the night before was no big deal, right? But how could I do that when it was a _very_ big deal for me?

I dressed for work in a simple shirt and cute skirt, giving myself a pep talk about behaving like a professional. I walked upstairs as though it were any other morning, prepared to get started right away on my list of daily tasks, but when I saw Edward leaning over the kitchen counter as he drank his coffee and read the newspaper, I felt my face heat immediately.

"Good morning, Miss Swan." Edward glanced in my direction, his eyes probably a little too familiar as he let them travel down my body before remembering himself and focusing his attention once more on the paper he held.

"Edward." I nodded and cleared my throat a little.

"Sleep well?"

"Very well. Thank you," I mumbled, feeling my face heat once more. He smiled against his coffee cup, and that one, satisfied little _smirk_ … I stared far too long at the way his bottom lip curved around the edge of his mug. I watched his throat tighten as he took a drink. I let my eyes linger on the long fingers that held the cup to his face. I bit my lip, my body automatically responding to his unintentional sexiness. Or was it really all that unintentional? The knowing glint in his eyes made me think, perhaps, he knew exactly what I was thinking. So much for pretending to be unaffected.

"Miss Swan?" Edward asked, dropping his paper on the counter as he moved toward me. Standing beside me, he turned his head to whisper near my ear. "Unless you want me to behave completely inappropriate in front of the rest of my staff, you need to stop looking at me like you'd like to have me for breakfast." He let his hand move from his side so the back of his fingertips brushed the bare skin of my leg just at the hem of my skirt.

"What?" I blinked, shaking my head. "I wasn't…" But he and I both knew I was.

"You wore this to drive me crazy today, didn't you?" We both knew that was true, too.

I didn't get a chance to answer. Edward moved away quickly when Mrs. Waters entered the kitchen with a stack of fresh hand towels to put away.

"Good morning, Edward. Bella."

"Good morning," we said in unison.

"Have you eaten, yet?" Mrs. Waters asked Edward.

"No. Would you mind making me an omelet?" Edward asked. "Egg whites with ham? I have a photoshoot at the end of the week, and I need to load up before I hit the gym."

"I'll let you know when it's ready," I told him.

"I'll be in my office." Edward nodded before picking up his coffee to take with him. "Thanks, girls!"

"He seems to be in a good mood today," Mrs. Waters commented, moving to put the towels where they belonged before starting to cook. "Must be because the team won yesterday."

"Probably." I smiled. I had a feeling Edward's mood has less to do with winning stats and more to do with our encounter in the pool last night. The thought made me so happy that I nearly skipped on my way out the door to talk with the gardener.

I knocked on Edward's office door and smiled when he told me to come in. Edward was sitting at his desk, looking at his computer screen. He grinned when he saw I was carrying his breakfast plate and a glass of orange juice for him.

"Thanks, Bella." He smiled when I set his meal down. "Come here." I walked around his desk and giggled a little when Edward pulled me down to sit across his lap. Almost right away, he pushed his fingers into my hair and turned my head down so he could kiss me. I melted into the moment right away, sighing because it ended all too soon. "I wanted to do that when I saw you in the kitchen," Edward whispered against the side of my face, placing a kiss there, too. "You came into the room with these cheeks looking so pink and sweet, and it killed me not to be able to say good morning to you properly."

"This is nice." I smiled.

"I'm really going to need to rethink things." Edward frowned. "It's not that I want to draw unnecessary attention to our relationship or give the staff reasons to gossip, but I don't want to hide this, either. It feels wrong. It seems like there should be some middle ground."

"Whatever you decide." I shrugged.

"Just give me a little time to figure things out, okay?"

"Sure."

"I'm sorry I have to work this morning."

"I have work to do, too," I reminded him. "Oh! But I have to leave to run an errand. When I was outside, I found Sam's phone. He must've dropped it yesterday. I thought I'd drive it over to Jake's store so he can give it to him."

"You have to do that right away?"

"Wouldn't you freak out if you thought you'd lost yours?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. Edward nodded quickly, and I ruffled the top of his hair with my fingers. "I need to get a new book or two, anyway. Turns out, I have a lot of down time when my boyfriend's out of town for work!"

"You have a boyfriend?" Edward grinned widely.

"Well, I _thought_ I did," I teased, reaching for a magazine I saw in the center of the desk. "So you'll have to tell me why you've got pictures of naked men in your office, Edward."

"That's Arrietta." Edward snorted. "It's _ESPN Magazine_ 's 2016 Body Image issue we were talking about at the meeting. _STACK_ wants to do something similar with my shoot, but of course, they're considering a slightly different angle so they aren't copying this style completely."

"Oh." I nodded, flipping through the pages. "Well, this is tasteful, right? I mean, the way it's shot? All of his, uh, private areas are covered."

"Disappointed?"

"No!" I rolled up the magazine and swatted his arm with it. "I just meant that if they do the pictures right, you won't be totally exposed!"

"That's what I'm hoping for." Edward nodded. "I don't want this to be anything my son will be embarrassed about down the road."

"Just be clear with them." I shrugged. "And make sure you have final editing rights."

"Will you go with me?" Edward asked.

"Where?"

"To the shoot. It's Saturday morning," Edward said. "It's going to be a long process, but you can act as my assistant or something. I'd feel more comfortable if you were there."

"Sure, if you want me to." I smiled.

"It could be a good thing." Edward chuckled. "I mean, you _did_ say you were curious about how I'm built. It would be a good opportunity for you to check me out and size things up." He wagged his eyebrows to make me laugh, and I jumped off his lap.

"I'm leaving." I shook my head. "I'll be back in an hour or so."

"I'll be done by then." Edward nodded. "We can spend some time together before I have to go to the stadium."

"Okay." I grinned. I leaned down and kissed him once more. Gosh, I loved that I could do that now! "See you later!"

Jake wasn't in his shop. Molly told me he didn't plan to be in until later in the day. I left Sam's phone with her after penning a note to let Jake know where I'd found it, and then I spent a few minutes browsing the stacks, looking for a couple of new books to take home. In doing that, I actually found a book I thought Edward might enjoy: _The Last Days of Summer_ by Steve Klugel. I added that to my bag and left the store to walk back to my car. I'd made it no further than a block when I heard my name being called from across the street.

"Bella? Bella Swan!"

I shielded my eyes from the sun as I turned to look to see who had summoned me. I saw Riley Biers sitting at a table in front of a cafe, waving me over. I smiled and crossed the street to say hello.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Visiting my old stomping grounds." Riley chuckled. "I'm supposed to be meeting a friend here for brunch, but he hasn't showed up, yet. What are you doing?"

"I bought a couple of books." I shrugged, holding my bag in front of me.

"The Loop has changed a lot in the last few years," Riley noted. "It's great."

"They've really been working to revitalize the area." I smiled. "My friend owns the bookstore down the street."

"Hope you get a discount. You have quite a haul there."

"I do." I smiled.

"Have time to join me for a cup of coffee?"

"Oh. Um…" I bit my lip and checked the time on my phone.

"Come on. We'll make it quick. Your boss can't keep you _that_ busy!"

"I do have to get back…"

"Now that I think of it, your schedule probably _is_ pretty tight." Riley frowned. "I wanted to get a sort of pre-interview meeting with Cullen this week, but Victoria says he's booked."

I knew Edward had cleared his calendar while he was home so we could spend more time together, but there was no way I was going to tell Riley that I was the reason Edward hadn't met with him yet.

"I guess I have a _few_ minutes." I smiled to appease the man. Since Jake hadn't been around, my trip had taken less time than I thought it would. "But no questions about Edward Cullen, all right?"

"Totally off the record!" Riley put his hands up submissively. "No paper. No pen. No recording devices up my sleeve. You can pat me down for a wire, if you want to."

"No, thank you," I said, snorting as I sat down across from him. "Just one cup of coffee, and then I have to go."

Fifteen minutes later, I was heading to my car. Fifteen minutes after that? I was home. Approximately two minutes after I arrived? I wanted to throw a book at Edward Cullen's head.

"Bella?" Mrs. Waters called for me as soon as I entered the house. "Edward is working out downstairs. He asked me to send you down right away when you returned."

"Okay." I smiled. The thought of seeing Edward all flushed and sweaty while working out was enough to make me practically run down the stairs to meet him. Flushed? Check. Sweaty? Double-check. Nearly glaring at me when I rounded the corner? What the hell? The smile dropped from my face immediately.

"Edward?"

"Have a nice trip out?" Edward nearly spat, stomping across the room. It looked like he could've ripped the refrigerator door from its hinges when he flung it open to get a bottle of water.

"I guess. I got a few books that look really good."

"Bullshit!"

The anger in Edward's voice felt like he'd reached out and slapped me. I took a step back, feeling nervous.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked. Was he in the middle of some work-out induced 'roid rage? Did baseball players still use steroids? Edward didn't seem the type. And I thought they tested athletes for that kind of thing now. Still, I hadn't seen the ugly side of Edward's temper in quite a while, and this time, it was aimed at me! I had to force myself to square my shoulders and face him.

"Why don't you tell me about your little date, hmm?" Edward sneered at me. "Is _he_ the reason you dressed up in that little skirt today, Bella? To look pretty for the guy you had to rush out of here to meet?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Don't play dumb!" Edward gripped the plastic bottle in his hand so tightly I thought he might crush it. "You know, it's cute and funny when you're legitimately confused about things, but _pretending_ to be ignorant doesn't suit you. You're an intelligent woman, Bella, so cut the shit!"

"You're scaring me," I told him, feeling my voice start to shake. "If you just tell me why you think—"

"I got a nice little text message from Victoria." Edward reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, thrusting it in my direction, though I wasn't nearly close enough to actually read the screen he pointed at with an angry finger. "She told me you were out for breakfast with Riley Biers this morning!"

"Riley?"

"Oh. Is it all coming back to you now?" Edward asked. "Yeah. She told me you saw him at the ballgame the other night, too! An 'old boyfriend,' I think she said! Funny you never mentioned him!"

"I _just_ ran into him!" I raised my own voice then. "And I _would_ have told you, but I didn't have time. You started attacking me as soon as I got here!"

"Don't you play the victim here! Goddamn it!" Edward threw his water bottle across the room, and I turned and practically ran down the hall to get away from him. I didn't even fully make it into my room before Edward caught up with me. He put his hand around my arm and ushered me inside before closing the door loudly behind us.

"What are you doing?" I spun away from his grip. "This conversation is over, Edward. I won't talk to you when you're acting like—"

"Like what? Like my _father?!"_ Edward yelled. "Go ahead. Say it! That's what you were thinking!"

"If you don't like to be compared to him, then don't compare me to my _mother!"_ I yelled back. "I'm not some… _cheater_! I didn't go out on a date with another guy! I would _never_ do that!"

"If you aren't feeling guilty, then why did you run away?"

"Because you need to control your temper!" I retorted hotly. "I can't talk to you when you're like this. I don't want to, and I don't _have_ to!"

"Fuck!" Edward grabbed at his hair and turned away from me. I could see he was struggling to settle down, taking deep breaths. "Fuck, Bella! Do you know how much it hurt to get that message?"

"If you want to talk about this like civilized human beings, you can sit down and we'll talk, but I'm not going to have you throwing things around like some caveman!"

"Fine." Edward's shoulders slumped, and he walked over to sit in the chair at the corner of my room. "Fine. Let's talk."

"Fine," I said, licking my lips and straightening my shirt, trying to compose myself. With as much calmness as I could summon, I sat on the edge of my bed and faced him. "I went to Jake's store to return Sam's phone, like I told you. I bought some books. I even got you one, you jerk."

"Where does Riley fit into this story?" Edward asked with a low voice. The nerve ticking in his jaw was the only indication he was still aggravated. He was working hard to bring himself back down, and I appreciated his efforts.

"Jake wasn't there, and as I was leaving the store, Riley saw me from where he was waiting for a friend he was supposed to be meeting for brunch. He asked me to have a cup of coffee with him, and since I'd finished in the store so quickly, I thought it would be a good idea to be friendly since he's the one who will be working on your article for _STACK_. It was _not_ a date, and it was _not_ planned."

"Was he trying to get information about me?" Edward sat up a little straighter.

"He didn't ask me a single thing about you." I shook my head quickly. "We talked about the new trolley that's running down Delmar and how the area has changed. That's all."

"Why didn't you tell me you'd met him the other night?"

"Honestly?" I shrugged. "It slipped my mind. It wasn't that big a deal. He recognized me from a class we had together years ago. It wasn't like we spent any time together. I don't know how Victoria thought we'd ever been in any sort of a relationship. Other than that class, I didn't even know him. Alice had some stuff going on that night, and I guess I sort of focused on that instead. I forgot all about it!"

"Bella…" I heard it. I heard the apologetic tone in the way he said my name, and I shook my head.

"Don't, Edward. Seriously? You said you were hurt because _Vickie_ sent you a message? Well, I'm hurt, too! How could you think something so vile of me?" I felt tears prick my eyes then, and I sniffled. "I have my own insecurities to deal with! And it would be very easy for me to get jealous and be suspicious of everyone you might see or spend time with when you aren't at home! Do you think I like knowing you stayed late after your flight the other night to have dinner with Victoria? I _hated_ hearing that, but I _trust_ you! That relationship is in the past. I'm giving you my trust, Edward. There's no other way for the two of us to have a relationship at all if we can't do that for each other!"

"Bella… I'm so sorry."

"Fine." I wiped my eyes and looked away. Edward crossed the room and sat on the edge of my bed, reaching to hold my hands between his own.

"Don't just say 'fine' and not _be_ fine," Edward urged. "Please. _Please_ forgive me. I acted like a jealous fool, and I'm sorry. It's just… You're _mine_ , Bella, and I can't stand the thought of—"

"Stop right there!" I said, turning to look at him. "I am _not_ yours, Edward! I belong to _me_!"

"I know, but—"

"No buts!" I shook my head. "Who I choose to share myself with has to be the type of person who will not question my morals. If I believe in you, then you believe in me. You sat in this room the first night you kissed me, Edward. Do you remember? You told me you will _not_ be called a liar. Well, I won't have you accusing me of being a cheater. I mean it. It's a deal-breaker for me. You decide if you can handle that or not."

"I can. I can." He nodded quickly. "I'll work on it. I promise."

"Good." I pressed my lips together.

"Did you really buy me a gift?"

"You're lucky I didn't throw it at you." I snorted. "I thought one of us throwing things was quite enough."

"Your father must've been one hell of a man." Edward smiled softly, rubbing his thumb across my knuckles.

"Why do you say that?"

"He raised such a strong woman." Edward looked down. "For such a tiny thing, you sure do handle yourself well by putting me in my place."

"My father would've chased you off my porch with a shotgun." I chuckled then. "But for the record, I _am_ considering getting myself a tattoo."

"Of?"

"A lion tamer," I teased. Edward laughed at that and stood up.

"Are we okay?"

"We're okay." I nodded.

Edward left an hour later to get ready for the ballgame. That night, the Cardinals lost. The next morning, instead of being greeted by a monster in a foul mood, I stepped out of my bedroom to see a wrapped bundle of daisies lying across my doorway. It looked like Edward was going to stay true to his word. He was trying.

"Good morning, Bella," Sarah told me as I walked into the kitchen. "Mrs. Waters needed a couple of hours off this morning. I hope it's okay we altered the schedule."

"Perfectly fine." I nodded. "Do we have something I can put these in?" I asked, taking my flowers to the sink.

"Sure. Right here," Sarah told me, producing a vase before returning to the stove area. "Mr. Cullen just got back. He wanted me to ask you if you'd join him for breakfast this morning."

"Oh! Well, thank you." I smiled.

"He's waiting in the dining room. Go on in, and I'll bring you some coffee."

I quickly arranged my daisies and carried them into the other room with me. Edward sat at the head of the table with a place set beside him. He looked up from the papers he read and smiled when I entered the room.

"Do you like them?"

"They're beautiful," I replied. I placed the vase on the table and then walked over to sit down.

"It's nothing fancy." Edward shook his head. "I had to pick them up at a gas station. Everything else was closed by the time I left the clubhouse last night."

"You mean you didn't force some poor flower-shop owner to open his doors at 2:00 in the morning just for you?" I playfully made my eyes wide, and Edward grinned.

"Mmm…" Edward nodded, playing along. "These daisies are of the _Apologeticus for being an ass-ius_ variety, I think."

"You just came up with that?" I snorted.

"It was written on the sign." He grinned. "For poor slobs who are in desperate need in the wee hours of the morning."

"Well, thank you." I smiled. "You didn't have to."

"I wanted to." Edward reached across the corner of the table and pulled my hand up to twist our fingers together. "After the way I behaved yesterday, I can't tell you how relieved I am that you're still here."

"I told you," I said, squeezing his fingers, "I'm not a quitter."

Edward pulled my hand up to kiss the back of my fingers, and I froze when Sarah entered the room. Edward didn't release my hand, though. He just turned to smile up at his housekeeper.

"Thanks, Sarah," Edward told her. "You can put the dishes there. We'll serve ourselves."

Okay… So I guess that was Edward's way of taking baby steps toward letting his staff know he and I shared more than just a working relationship. My face turned warm, and I kept my gaze averted while Sarah placed dishes of eggs, sausage, and toast in front of us before leaving the room again.

"Hungry?" Edward asked.

"Not as hungry as you are." I giggled then, watching as Edward finally released my hand to begin piling an enormous serving of food on his plate.

"I have a high metabolism." He shrugged.

"So…" I took a piece of toast and nibbled from the corner. "Sarah said you went out this morning. Did I miss something on your schedule?"

"No. I was able to get an early appointment with my doctor," Edward said, shrugging again.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Edward frowned. "Terry is… Well, he's my shrink." Looking uncomfortable, Edward rubbed the back of his neck. "I haven't seen him in a while. I thought it would be a good idea to try to work some appointments in."

"Edward…" I breathed, surprised.

"No. It's okay, Bella." Edward gave me a soft smile. "It really bothered me when you said I scared you yesterday."

"That's not what I meant… exactly." I twisted my napkin. "Nervous, maybe?"

"I need you to know that I would never, ever…" Edward shook his head and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "I'm a passionate person, Bella. I run hot. I was upset, and I behaved aggressively. But I wouldn't ever physically hurt you. I don't want that idea to ever cross your mind."

"I don't think that!" I quickly shook my head.

"I need to revisit some ways to vent in a healthier manner." Edward smirked then. "That's what Terry said, anyway. It'll do me good to have some sessions with him."

"If you think so."

"I _know_ so. It'll be good for me, and it'll be good for us _._ I want to show you that I'm all in, Bella."

"I am, too," I whispered. Edward had a nasty temper. I'd known that, and I'd signed up for all of this, anyway. But he was willing to work on it. How could I do anything but support him in that journey? I was all in, like _all_ in, and that's a very strange realization to come to over a breakfast table, but that's exactly when it hit me. I looked over at Edward who smiled as he thoughtfully filled my glass with orange juice, and I realized… I was in love with Edward Cullen. With gas-station daisies on the table in front of me and a mouth full of scrambled eggs, it was hardly the romantic setting… but there it was. Lord, help me.

At 3:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, however, I kind of hated him a little bit.

"You're not a morning person." Edward chuckled as he drove. I let my neck fall back against the headrest and groaned.

"You said it was an early shoot. I didn't know we'd be up before the sun!"

"You aren't the one who played a game last night." Edward yawned. "But this is the only time we can get this done. I have to get on a plane this afternoon for San Diego, and I've only had a couple hours of sleep."

"I know," I muttered. "Poor professional baseball player. Being famous sucks!"

"Sometimes." Edward chuckled. "You don't have to go, you know. We could take you back home."

"Nah." I smiled and squeezed his hand. "I wouldn't miss this."

"You want to see me naked so badly? You could've just asked, Miss Swan!"

"Shut up!" My cheeks felt warm. I think I felt shyer about Edward's upcoming photoshoot than he did.

Edward drove us through a private, gated entrance. It was strange and almost eerie being at the stadium so early in the morning. The place was cavernous, silent, and totally empty. Edward held my hand while he walked me down through the tunnels. I had to admit that it was very interesting seeing the clubhouse where all of the players prepared for each game. I felt special. Until Victoria walked into the room.

She looked gorgeous, as always. Wearing a tight red business suit with a short skirt and four-inch heels, Victoria looked like she was the one ready to have her picture taken for a magazine. Did the woman _sleep_ in Gucci? Perhaps she didn't sleep at all. Maybe she hung upside down, like a vampire bat. That would at least explain how every long red curl on her stunning head was in perfect place.

I, on the other hand, was dressed in comfortable jeans, an oversized college hoodie, no makeup, and had my unbrushed hair pulled up into a really messy bun on the top of my head. It wasn't even 4:00 in the morning, for Pete's sake! But hey, I didn't care. I was the one grinning like a Cheshire cat when I saw Victoria's red-glossed lips press together in a tight little line when she noticed Edward holding my hand.

"Good morning, Edward. Isabella?" Victoria brushed her hair away from her face. "I didn't know you'd be here this morning."

"You must be Riley," Edward said, greeting the man who walked in the door behind Victoria. He dropped my hand only to extend a handshake. "Bella tells me you two went to school together."

"And she hasn't changed a bit." Riley snorted. "Look at you. You could pass for nineteen again!"

If I was worried about things being awkward when Edward met Riley, I didn't have to be. Edward was being cordial and friendly. Well, maybe a _little_ possessive after he dropped Riley's hand and threw his arm around my waist to hold me close to his side.

"So, you're writing the article?"

"Yep." Riley nodded. His eyes darted back and forth between Edward and me, assessing the situation. "But today isn't about the interview. I just thought we could get to know each other a little so I can get a feel for what it is you hope to get out there. I'm going to sit in during the shoot and check out this place for some background details."

"Well, I'm glad you could make it," Edward told him. "I know it's early, but I think it's more comfortable for both of us to meet now, you know, before my dick's out."

"Edward!" Vickie sighed and rolled her eyes. "Language."

"He's writing about me! I'm not going to pretend to be any way that I'm not. I don't want some stuffy piece." Edward looked toward Riley. "Keep it real."

"You got it." Riley nodded. "Don't hold anything back. I've written for _STACK_ for the past few years. Most of my interviews are conducted in locker rooms. I'm used to this stuff."

"Well, then…" I muttered, moving out from beneath Edward's arm. "I'm going to need to find some coffee." Understatement. I was going to need a vat of caffeine to get through a day of dealing with Victoria.

We met with Edward's photographer and a graphic artist who had put together some design boards to help finalize the concept ideas.

"I'm a little worried about how the photographs will be staged," Edward told them, moving aside on the sofa so I could sit beside him. "Arrieta's a pitcher, you know. His leg position in the wind-up helped to keep things… covered."

"Well," the designer began, gesturing to the boards, "that's why we came up with these ideas for you to check out. We didn't think you'd feel comfortable jumping nude against the centerfield wall until we captured the right shot. We've come up with an artistic alternative."

"Show me," Edward said, nodding. I leaned forward with my elbows on my knees, totally enthralled by the process. Edward was smart and sexy when he was in business mode.

"I got the idea from a recent blog," the photographer offered. "During a game, one of your announcers remarked that you lived up to the name 'The Lion' in the way you wait out in the grass to pounce on a play. He said it's like you're part of the field. No matter where they hit the ball, you magically appear."

"That's flattering." Edward chuckled. "I wish it were that easy!"

"Body painting's a big thing right now," the photographer said. "We've brought in three of the best. They can do 3-D body art and paint you right into part of the scenery. We can use your announcer's quotes as a sort of overlay."

"So, I'd be camouflaged?" Edward asked, sitting up a little straighter. "I like that!"

"Great!" The designer clapped his hands together. "Then we really only need you to be on board with two of these designs. Each session will be difficult, in that it will take our artists a couple of hours to paint you into the shot, but that's why we have three of them. Usually paintings like this can take upward of five to six hours. They can cut the time tremendously if they work together."

Edward immediately nixed the idea of him being painted as an actual lion, crouching in the field.

"It's too literal." Edward shook his head. "And it's cheesy."

"What if we posed him at the plate?" Victoria suggested. "We can call him the King of Diamonds! Your artists could paint him silver… Sparkly!"

"Fuck that." Edward rolled his eyes, making Victoria frown at the easy dismissal. "I'm not getting covered in glitter. I like the idea of being part of the field. What ideas do you have for that one?"

In the end, Edward chose two poses he liked. In one, he would be painted up against the back wall, with his arms outstretched and his back to the camera. In the other, he'd be lying in the grass on his back in centerfield.

"I need to warn you," the designer told him. "Painting you against the wall won't be difficult. But this next one? It will take the artists quite a bit of time to do all of the detail work that will be required to make you disappear into the grass!"

"Vickie?" Edward called out. "Call Mike for me and tell him that I won't be in San Diego in time for batting practice. And get me a later flight out there, will ya?"

"Sure." She sighed, obviously put out by being treated like a secretary. Edward had asked me to attend this shoot as an assistant. I guess the only assistance he required from me was for moral support. He kept me close to his side, and I loved it.

"Do you like these?" Edward asked, brushing his lips across the back of my knuckles while he stared at the concept boards he'd chosen.

"I do." I smiled, leaning into his side. "I'm excited to see how this turns out!"

"You're staying with me, right?"

"Of course." I nodded. "As long as I'm not in the way."

"We might put a paintbrush in your hands." One of the artists laughed as she walked by. "This is going to be a long one. We're going out to get set up. Come outside when you're ready."

"Here. This is for you," another artist said, tossing a little scrap of beige-covered material in Edward's direction.

"What is it?" he asked, reaching up to grab it in his fist.

"It's a modesty pouch," she told him as she walked out the door.

"A what?" Edward unraveled the item, and I covered my mouth to stifle a giggle.

"It's a fuckin G-string!" Edward groaned.

"Better than letting it all hang out." I laughed.

"Not much!" He stretched the front fabric between his fingers, still scowling. "How am I supposed to fit my junk in this?"

"You'll manage." I laughed then. "I'm going outside to let you get changed. I'll see you out there."

"Will you take my bag with you?" Edward asked, rising. "I have some stuff in there I might need."

"No problem."

Edward put his finger under my chin and raised my face to his.

"Thanks for being here for me today, Bella."

"Thanks for wanting me to be here," I whispered just as he lowered his face to kiss me.

"You're arrangements have been made," Victoria announced from the doorway, interrupting the last private moment Edward and I would have for the morning. I turned my face to her, satisfied to see she looked practically livid. It served her right, learning about me and Edward this way. She was the one who'd caused so much trouble by telling Edward lies about Riley and me. She'd been up to no good that day, and I knew it. She could claim all she wanted that it was an innocent mistake, but I didn't trust her.

"See you out there." I smiled back up at Edward before grabbing his bag to head for the door.

The stadium lights were on, flooding the entire field with light bright enough to rival the midday sun, but unlike a late-June afternoon, it was chilly! Sixty-three degrees with a breeze made me happy I was dressed in a sweatshirt. I rubbed my arms and walked over to where the body painters had been nice enough to set a chair up for me next to where they'd be working.

"Did you think I was kidding?" One of the artists smiled, handing me a sponge roller. "We're gonna have you help us cover him with the base color."

"Cool!" I smiled. This was going to be fun. The artists—Kim, Jane, and Brad—all looked over pages to help them break the work they were about to do into sections. "Are you sure?" I asked. "I don't want to mess anything up."

"You can't." Jane smiled. "We're covering him in green. Then we'll go in and add the shadows and texture. You can sit that part out." She winked.

"Oh, lovely," Victoria snidely remarked, walking up at the end of our conversation. "Let's make sure there's nothing amateurish about the final product, all right? We're not teaching a finger-painting class today. Edward doesn't have time to fool around."

"Who put the stick up _her_ ass?" Brad whispered when Victoria teetered away in her heels. I laughed.

"I didn't win the Installation Art Award for the last three years to put up with _her_ smart mouth," Kim muttered.

"Her attitude does _not_ reflect the client," I hurried to assure them. "Edward is very easy-going. You'll see."

And they _did_ see. Edward was a trooper. Even though he looked uncomfortable walking out onto the field in a bathrobe, he kept it together.

"Christ, it's windy," he complained. "I'm going to freeze my nuts off!"

"Can we see someone about getting some sort of a heater brought out?" Jane asked someone who was working nearby.

"We've got the paints in a warmer to try to make it better for you," Brad said. "But I ain't gonna lie; they're still gonna feel cool on your skin."

"Let's just get it done," Edward said, dropping his robe. "Born in Chicago and raised in the Pacific Northwest. I can handle it."

Now, I'll admit that I couldn't help but look. The little pouch Edward had been given to cover himself didn't leave much to the imagination. But his body? Damn. I mean… _Damn._ He looked like some sort of marble statue covered in front by no more than a tiny little fig leaf.

"Don't you dare judge me for shrinkage," Edward mumbled, making my face flush hot as I realized he'd caught me staring. "It's fucking cold."

"You get no judgment from me." I laughed, reaching up to pull his baseball cap over his shaggy hair. "There. That'll at least keep your head warm!"

It was a good thing Edward was so physically fit. They posed him against the wall with his arms out wide and a glove on one hand as though he were reaching for a ball. And the artists even put a little wooden box beside him so that one foot rested on it, making Edward look like he was in motion. He essentially balanced himself in that position on one leg while the artists worked to cover him with paint. I had fun at first, rolling my paint down the back of Edward's legs, but all too soon, it was time for me to move out of the way and watch the team do the hard stuff.

Edward's cheek was pressed to the wall, and he chatted with the artists while they painted. I loved hearing about the work they did on different movie sets and photoshoots. It was extremely interesting. Edward remained positive and friendly, keeping the situation relaxed even though the process was physically taxing. The artists did a great job of backing off and letting him move around and stretch every thirty minutes or so. Then they would get him back into position and start again. It took a little under three hours before I was ready to pull my chair away so they could begin taking pictures.

Up close, I had no way of knowing how effective the body artists were in camouflaging Edward's form, but when the photographer called me out to see his frame, I was blown away.

"Oh, wow! Edward! This is amazing!" I called out, smiling as I looked at the screen the photographer showed me. "It's like, I can _see_ you, but I can't see you. I don't know how else to explain it!"

"When can I look?" Edward asked with his face against the wall.

"Come on out," the photographer instructed. "I think we have enough shots to work with!"

Edward turned and held his baseball glove over his crotch, loping out to where we stood. I giggled at the sight of him running bare-assed across the field. Victoria walked out to join us while Edward looked at the pictures.

"I like that!" Edward smiled, looking relieved.

"I still think it's ludicrous." Victoria sniffed. "You're a star. You're meant to stand out! This whole thing makes you blend in. You don't _blend_ , Edward."

"You all did a fantastic job," Edward said, ignoring her and speaking to the painters. "Great work."

"Wanna take fifteen before we begin the next setup?" the photographer asked.

"Sounds good. Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you please get me something hot to drink? Coffee or something? I need to speak with Victoria for a minute."

"Sure." I smiled.

When I rounded the corner to return with Edward's drink, I was almost knocked over by Victoria. Some of the coffee in my cup splashed onto the front of me, and I frowned as I wiped at it with the cuff of my sweatshirt.

"What's the hurry?" I asked. I didn't miss the satisfied little smile Victoria had just before her face morphed into a fake expression of contriteness.

"I'm so sorry, Isabella! I'm late for a conference call, so I need to leave. My work never ends! I don't know what Edward would do without me! Hope that doesn't stain! Bye!"

"Bye." I made a face at her back as she exited. Bitch. She totally wasn't sorry!

"It's not a full cup. I'm sorry," I told Edward as I handed him his drink. "I'm wearing some of it!"

"Thank you," he said, accepting the warm Styrofoam cup gratefully. "My fingers are numb!"

"Is that all?" I teased.

"Every _inch_ of me is cold, Bella." Edward laughed. "You can feel free to offer warm-up services later!"

"Happy to." I grinned. Oh, boy, would I be happy to! "Victoria was in a rush…"

"I told her to leave." Edward shrugged.

"You did not!"

"Yeah, I did." He snorted. "She was pissing me off, so I told her to get out of here."

"Well, she certainly spins stories to suit her." I frowned.

"That's what she gets paid to do." Edward sighed. "And she's wonderful at making me look good in the press."

" _You_ make you look good in the press," I corrected him.

"She's acting bitchy because I didn't like her suggestion to let them cover me in diamond dust or whatever the fuck it was she wanted. I don't care. Her attitude was bringing everyone down. These people are doing their best."

"They're really talented." I nodded.

"I'm going to be lying over there," Edward said as he pointed. "I brought that book you got me, because I didn't know if we'd have any down time today, but I was thinking maybe you'd be willing to sit beside me. You could read to me to help pass the time, if you want…"

"I'd love to!"

They got Edward laid out in the grass, and I stretched out a few feet away from him. I shivered when I felt how cold the lawn was beneath me, even through my clothing. It made me have a whole new respect for what Edward was going through to get this shoot done.

"Damn," I whispered, looking over at him. "How are you doing this?"

"It's colder out here than it was earlier." Edward made a face. "At least the wall blocked some of the wind."

"This means a lot to you." I bit my lip. "You wouldn't put yourself through it, otherwise."

"It is going to be huge for the foundation." Edward nodded. "It'll be the donation we need to get things started."

"I was meaning to talk to you about that," I told him. "Just… It's something I've been thinking about."

"Shoot."

"I don't mean to overstep. It's just an idea…"

"Bella? I'd love to hear it." Edward winced and shifted a little. "Sorry. This tickles."

"It's a little weird to be lying here with you while three people paint your body." I giggled.

"Keep my mind off it." Edward chuckled. "Tell me your idea."

"Oh! Right!" I nodded. "Well, I was reading an article about Dolly Parton the other day."

"And?"

"Her theme park, Dollywood?"

"Yeah?"

"They've built a calming room for people with autism! It's, like, a chill place where families can go if someone gets sensory overload from the sights and sounds of the park. It's this quiet, safe zone where they can go for a little while to regroup and calm themselves. Isn't that neat?"

"Sounds awesome." Edward smiled.

"So, I know it would take a couple of years if you actually wanted to do it, but what if you could get someone at the stadium here to donate one of the boxes for something like that?"

"Keep going…" Edward nodded.

"Build up the walls to keep the noise out. Use an air filtration system. You'd be surprised at how many people might have aversions to all of the smells during a game! Put some sensory toys in there. I bet a lot of people have trouble taking their children to a game, because it can be so overwhelming for some of them!"

"Miss Swan, you're a genius!"

"And if it went well, I bet you could partner with other teams, too, and get them to install the same type of areas. It could be really great, Edward!"

My words were cut off when Edward surprised me by rolling over to his side, grabbing my face, and kissing me soundly.

"Hey! It's not break time, yet!" Jane laughed. "Get back over here!"

"Sorry." Edward laughed, letting them roll him back into position. "Couldn't help myself."

"You like the idea, then?" I giggled.

"I think it's worth looking into." Edward smiled.

"Want me to read to you now?"

"Sure."

Edward reached out to hold my hand while I read to him, but after a few chapters, I noticed his fingers had gone slack. I glanced over and saw that he was sleeping there in the grass. I closed the book and turned to my side, watching him rest. How he managed to sleep so peacefully while three painters moved brushes over his body, I'll never know, but watching the process held my interest. I watched for a long time before finally feeling myself nod off, too.

A little while later, I was woken by Kim as she gently nudged my shoulder.

"We're done." She smiled down at me. "Want to wake him so we can get these pictures taken?"

Kim, Jane, and Brad packed up their things and stretched their own tired limbs as they moved to clear the work area. I reached over and touched Edward's chin lightly with one fingertip.

"Hmm?" He groggily blinked his eyes open. "How long have I been out?"

"About two and a half hours." Brad snorted, surprising me. I hadn't realized we'd been sleeping so long! "Easiest canvas we've had in a while. We didn't have to worry about you moving and messing us up!"

"God, I feel stiff." Edward groaned. "Get the photographer to work, so I can get up and move! I need to piss."

"Me, too!" I jumped up and stretched before hurrying away to find a bathroom. Poor Edward still had to wait until the shoot was finished.

When I walked back out to the field, I watched from a distance as the photographer climbed a ladder above Edward to take aerial shots. He moved from one space to another efficiently and quickly. Three hours of painting only took twenty minutes to shoot.

"We're done here!" he called out. Edward wasted no time in getting to his feet and wrapping himself in his robe so he could go use the facilities.

When he returned, he was dressed and found us all smiling around the screen that showed what the photographer had captured. It was incredible. Each perfect blade of grass was replicated in an intricate pattern on Edward's body so that he'd truly become one with the field. I was in awe of the photograph. Edward seemed to like it, too, though he was obviously ready to leave.

"Send me the proofs so I can check them out later, okay?" Edward requested. "Thank you all for your work today. Really, it's been great, but I need to go."

I hurried to pack up our things and follow Edward back out to his car.

"Are you okay?" I asked, feeling slightly winded after trying to keep up with his pace.

"Yeah. I'm okay." He nodded. "I'm not even that tired anymore, but this paint is dry and itching like crazy. I'm really only focusing on getting under a hot shower right now."

"I can make you some lunch while you're scrubbing the paint off," I suggested.

"That would be _so_ great." He sighed.

Once we were back at the house, I hurried to make Edward a bowl of warm soup and a sandwich. When he still hadn't come downstairs after almost half an hour, I began to worry. Edward hadn't told me what time his new flight left. Afraid he might lose track of time, I went upstairs to look for him.

"Edward?" I called, knocking gently on his bedroom door before pushing it open. I could hear the shower was still running in the other room.

"Bella?"

"Sorry!" I spoke, standing near the bathroom door. "I wasn't sure what time your flight leaves…"

"Vickie got me a seat on one that leaves at 2:30," Edward replied. "What time is it now?"

"Not even noon. You have time." I sighed. "Okay. Well, lunch is ready when you want it!"

"Wait! Don't go!" Edward called. I paused, waiting. "Can you… Can you come in here for a minute?"

Edward wanted me to go in while he was showering? He didn't have to ask me twice!

"Do you need something?" I asked, stepping into the steamy room. I could barely make out Edward's shape through the condensation on his shower walls. The door to the enclosure opened, and he stuck his wet head through, looking over at me.

"Can you help me in here?" Edward asked, looking slightly embarrassed. "I got all the paint off the front of me, but I can't get it all off my back! I thought it would soften it up if I stood under the water long enough, but this shit is like glue!"

"Are you asking me to take a shower with you?" I grinned, folding my arms over my chest while I leaned against the wall.

"Under any other circumstances, it would be a dream come true." Edward chuckled. "But it looks like I murdered Kermit the Frog in here. There's green everywhere. And I really do need your help."

"Sure, Edward." I laughed at his assessment of the situation. "I'll give you a hand."

He disappeared inside the shower again, and I summoned up the courage it would take to strip down to join him. It was nerve-wracking, knowing I'd be in the shower with him sans clothing. I'd always been a modest person, and I felt shy. But we were adults, right? And he had already seen me in a bikini, which doesn't cover much. Hadn't Edward been terribly brave himself earlier in the day by wearing practically nothing in front of an entire crew of people? If he could do that, I could do this!

"Okay. Let's see what we're dealing with," I said, taking a deep breath before opening the shower door to step in behind him. Edward stood under the spray of the overhead jets with his back to me.

 _Don't_ _look at his butt._ _Don't look at his butt._

Of course, I looked at his butt.

His perfectly sculpted, firm, tight, wet butt.

Then I wanted to _bite_ it.

 _Focus!_ I was supposed to be helping!

"You have a real mess back here," I told him, trying to keep my voice clinical and cool. He was right. Green drips of paint mixed with water were evident on almost every surface. I could see where Edward had rubbed his skin red trying to get to the wide strip of thick paint that still covered the center of his back. "Where's your soap?"

Edward reached behind him to hand me a loofa filled with suds. I breathed it in, sighing. It smelled so good. When I pressed it to the center of Edward's back, he jumped a little.

"Sorry." I giggled.

"Just, uh, do what you can," Edward told me. His voice sounded deep, gravely. I smiled as I got to work, pleased to think maybe Edward was just as affected by the situation as I was. But he was right. My being in the shower was really a necessity more than anything else. That didn't mean I couldn't enjoy myself, though.

"I don't know how you were able to sleep so soundly with those people painting you," I told him while rubbing soft circles to loosen the paint that had dried on his skin.

"I focused on _you_ to forget about them," Edward told me. "And I can sleep through just about anything. It comes from years of experience of traveling with loud ball players."

"Ahh." I nodded and bit my lip, watching the paint dilute to light-green water that ran down the muscles of his back toward that oh-so-delectable-looking ass of his. The backs of his legs were great, too. His calves… He even had attractive ankles. I was definitely not keeping my mind on business. "I'm really impressed by how everything turned out."

"I'm impressed by _you_ ," Edward said then. "That stuff you were suggesting about building a calming room? The more I think about it, the more I like it. I'm going to ask Dave to look into the logistics."

"That's wonderful." I smiled. "You know what? This didn't take as long as I thought it might. It wasn't really stuck. You just couldn't reach it." My hand was already making passes over his soapy back with no evidence of paint left. I pouted a little, wishing the task wasn't finished. I was enjoying myself. His wet skin felt like silk under my hands, and I wanted to keep on touching him.

"Did you get it all?" Edward asked.

"Yeah." I sighed. I couldn't keep the disappointment from my voice. "You no longer look like the Jolly Green Giant. Congratulations! You're back to being you."

"Good!"

Edward spun toward me so quickly that I didn't have time to understand what had happened until my back was pressed up against the shower wall. The loofa fell from my fingertips when Edward kissed me hard, pressing the length of his body against mine. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders to keep myself upright. All reminders of the earlier chill that had settled into my bones were gone as I instantly felt my limbs turn to molten lava. I pressed myself against his chest, moaning into his mouth.

"God, Bella." Edward gasped. "You feel so fucking perfect!"

"So do you," I replied, closing my eyes as he lowered his face to place hot kisses down the side of my neck. My knees literally felt weak. I had guessed earlier that Edward was affected by the thought of me in his shower. Now I knew it to be true. He pressed the evidence of just how much he was affected against me, making me moan again and tug him by the hair so I could kiss him once more. The noises he brought out of me made me sound like some kind of a lust-crazed whore, and I loved it! I'd never in my life been so turned on by a man.

"Do you feel what you do to me?" Edward groaned. "Fuck, woman!" He dropped down to his knees and pressed kisses to my chest and ribs. When he put his mouth to my breast, I felt my knees start to shake.

"I can't." I shook my head.

"You're doing fine," Edward spoke against my stomach. I tugged him by the hair to get him to look up at me.

"No. I mean I can't stand. Edward…" I started to slide down the shower wall, and he grabbed me by the hips, pulling me against him as he rose. I threw my arms around his shoulders again as he assaulted my mouth with drugging kisses that made my entire world spin.

"Shower sex isn't any better than pool sex." Edward growled. "I'm not doing this in here."

"Then take me to bed," I urged. "If you tell me I have to wait for candles and roses, I'll scream!"

"Oh, I'll make you scream." Edward grinned wickedly and pulled me up into his arms. He kicked the shower door open and carried me through. "And as much as I'd love to give you romance right now, there isn't enough time."

"I don't need romance," I whispered, kissing his shoulder. "I just need…"

"I know what you need, honey," Edward said, placing me on his bed. We were both wet, but the air around us didn't feel cool. I was hot all over. Edward slid his body over mine, making me writhe beneath him. "Please tell me you're protected," he said. "I don't know if I have any condoms…"

"You don't need one," I promised, nearly panting into his mouth. "I'm on the pill. Please…"

"Thank God!"

For all of my earlier considerations that Edward was an ass man, I could admit I was mistaken. He seemed completely enraptured by my breasts as he kneaded them and kissed them and pulled at my nipples with his lips and teeth until I was so frustrated that I really could've screamed.

And then he let those wickedly talented fingers of his start working on the rest of my body, smiling at my reactions like he knew exactly what he was doing to me. The man was pleased with himself, and I was going crazy!

"Please," I said breathily, gripping his pillow at both sides of my head. "Please!"

"Do you want me?" Edward asked. "Say it, Bella!"

"You know I do," I responded, moaning. When he continued to tease me, I reached down and wrapped my hand around his hard, smooth shaft. And… Oh, yeah. He was definitely built impressively! I slid my fingers around him, exploring his body and smiling when it was his turn to close his eyes and utter the most delicious, low, and throaty groan I could ever imagine.

Apparently, that was enough to let him know exactly what it was that I wanted. Edward was through playing games. Without further preamble, he lifted my legs up around either side of hips and pushed himself into my body.

It was… perfect. Wild. Hot. It was everything I could've hoped for, and unlike any of my past relationships, there was no awkward fumbling. It was like Edward was programmed to know exactly what to do to send me into an absolute frenzy. We were totally in sync, and I found it hard to breathe. I didn't even want to. Breathing was overrated!

"Fuck, Bella!" Edward groaned above me, thrusting hard and fast and hitting me deep at such a perfect angle. I knew it wouldn't take long, and it didn't. When he reached beneath me to tilt my body up to him, I screamed. I'm not sure _what_ I screamed. It might've been his name. It might've been a string of incoherent cuss words. I felt like a possessed woman with absolutely no control. I'm pretty sure I scratched him. I don't know. But whatever occurred, it didn't take him long to get there, too. His body tensed, and I felt him find release inside me, which was something I'd never done before despite being on the pill. But it felt perfect and right, and I held Edward's face to my chest when he nearly collapsed on top of me. We were both sweaty and shaking. I almost wanted to cry, but a laugh came out instead. I clamped my hands over my mouth to try to stifle the sound.

"Something funny?" Edward asked, turning his face so he could look up at me. His wet hair dangled over his eyes, and his cheeks were _so_ flushed. Even after a workout in the gym, I'd never seen him look so completely worn out!

"Nothing!" I snorted. I couldn't help but to laugh again, and Edward laughed, too, pulling away and tickling my sides as he moved up the bed to rest beside me. He rolled to his back, breathing heavily and looking up at the ceiling.

"I don't buy it. I'm going to take it as a serious blow to my ego if you don't tell me what's got you so amused."

"I didn't know I could make sounds like that!" I laughed then, covering my face with my hands. "Oh, my God!"

"So it's a happy laugh?"

"It's a _very_ happy laugh!"

"I toldyou I'd make you scream," he said, sounding smug. He rolled toward me then, holding his head up to look at me. "Come to San Diego with me."

"I can't." I shook my head, grinning widely.

"Sure you can. Take tomorrow off work. I'll call your boss. He'll be fine with it."

"I mean, I _can't_." I snorted, slapping at his chest with my hand. "Victoria got you that flight last minute, and you'll be lucky if you make it to the game on time. I don't have time to make travel plans."

"I don't want to leave you right now." Edward frowned then. He pulled my hand up and kissed each of my fingers while he spoke. "It doesn't feel right."

"I'll be here when you get back," I promised.

"Right here?" Edward asked, drawing his brows up, looking hopeful. "Like right here? In my bed? Waiting for me?"

"If you want." I nodded.

"Hmm…" Edward rolled to his back again with a smile on his face. "What I _want_ is for you to sleep in my bed _every_ night. I want my pillows to smell like you when I get home. How does that sound?"

"You're not worried about what the rest of your staff might think?" I asked.

"Fuck 'em." Edward laughed. "No one's scheduled late enough in the evenings to even notice. I'm going to call you for a video chat after the game. I want to see you up here."

"Okay." I smiled, biting my lip. "You better move now. You're going to need another shower before you go to the airport."

I watched him nod before he rolled away to get up. And yes, I watched him walk back toward the shower. I wouldn't deny myself _that_ view. It was one I'd have to get used to. I was going to be seeing a lot of the back of Edward Cullen every time work forced him to leave. I wish we could've lain around together all day, exploring this new aspect of our relationship, but it just wasn't going to be that way. The only thing that kept me from crying over the thought of it was focusing on how great it would be to see him when he came back home. And yes, I'd be waiting for him right here.

 **~*~*Reviews are better than body paint. Leave one!~*~***


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

That night, I was ready for the call Edward had promised. As soon as the house was cleared and secured for the evening, I went up to Edward's room. Happily, I enjoyed that big shower of his, blushing while I thought of Edward sharing the space with me earlier in the day. My body still bore the invisible signature of his hands and lips on my skin. Five days. He'd be gone for five days, and then I'd get to be with him again.

I lay in his bed to watch the game on a large flatscreen mounted on the wall. With big luxurious pillows propped up behind me, I felt a little like the queen of this castle. I knew I was running on borrowed time. Mrs. Spreckles would be back before I knew it. But for now? For now, I was going to take advantage of Edward's invitation to sleep in his room. It made me feel nearer to him while he was away, even though the room didn't actually have much in it; a few toiletries in the bathroom, a magazine rolled to secure an open article on the table beside his bed, cufflinks he'd worn on our dinner date resting on the top of his dresser, and a large, nearly barren bookcase set into the wall. I frowned and bit my lip. The room was beautiful, but it could've been any hotel room, really. I wondered if that's how Edward saw it—just another place to sleep between games.

When I thought about it, I remembered Edward told me he also owned a home in Washington. That was where he lived during the off-season. Was he planning to return there in the fall? The Cardinals were looking good for a play-off spot this year, but even that would only carry his obligation to the team until October. Then what?

Unwilling to let my mood be toppled by the unknown future, I got up after the game and spent time preparing for my video call. While I knew Edward's only goal was to see I was staying in his room as requested, I had something else in mind. Maybe I was feeling a bit feisty, but I had a feeling Edward might appreciate it. Mentally, I calculated how long it would take Edward to finish at the stadium and return to his room. He'd get ready for bed before calling me, and that request would come in on my phone right about…

"Hi!"

"Hey there." Edward's smile filled my phone screen. "Miss Swan, do you always wear a baseball cap to bed?"

I grinned and tugged the brim of my cap down.

"I was watching my boyfriend kick some serious ass in San Diego tonight." I laughed. "I thought I'd dress for the occasion!"

"What in the hell do you have on?" Edward chuckled.

"A baseball jersey." I shrugged. "That's all."

"God, woman!" Edward let his eyes roll back and rubbed a hand over his face. "Show me."

I quickly got up on my knees on Edward's bed and pulled my phone out far enough so he could see I was wearing the white baseball jersey. It was opened down the front, and I only had on a plain pair of cotton underwear beneath it. Every essential part of me was covered, but Edward looked like I'd just sent him a gift.

"That's the sexiest thing I've ever seen." He grinned widely.

"It's not like I'm naked." I laughed. "But it's as close as you'll get on a video chat, so enjoy it!"

"I plan to." He laughed. "Send me a shot of you like that. I want it on my phone."

"When we're done talking." I giggled, lying back against the pillows. "You played a great game tonight."

"I'm fucking exhausted." Edward rubbed at his eyes. "It's been one hell of a long day."

"Don't stay on too late with me, then." I frowned. "You need to catch up on your sleep."

"I know. I gotta go. I'll call to check in tomorrow, okay?"

"Edward?" I asked, biting my lip. "You never used to check in with me while you were away. I don't want you to feel obligated to now."

"It's not an obligation." Edward shook his head. "I miss you. It'll make the time go by faster while I'm out here."

"Okay." I smiled. "Well, goodnight, Edward. I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Bella," he said as he yawned.

Our short but sweet call ended, and I rolled over to place my phone on the bedside table. I jumped a little when it buzzed beneath my fingertips. Curious, I pushed a button to see a text message from Edward.

 **Did you think I'd forget? Send me that picture!**

I laughed a little and shook my head. He was so silly!

 **You're awfully bossy.** I giggled as I texted back. **You first. I need a new lock screen.**

Edward's picture came through, and I saved it immediately. His head was turned to the side, and the image captured him from his razor-sharp jawline down his bare chest. It was cropped at the top of his pajama pants, making me smile.

 **I'm going to be swiping those abs every time I use my phone.** I was _totally_ serious.

 **Pic. Now. I'm your boss, and your job might depend on it, Miss Swan.**

I got back up on my knees and tried to adopt his pose. I took about four pictures before I was satisfied with one. Head turned, baseball cap pulled low, and skin showing just enough between my breasts down to the top edge of the underwear I wore… Cute. Sexy, even? Almost totally innocent. I pushed the send button.

 **That's going in the spank bank.**

 **Nice, Edward!** I laughed.

 **Yes. Very nice. Mmmm… Wanna text dirty to me?**

 **No way!** I snorted, still laughing over the teasing banter between us.

 **That's it. You're fired.**

I shut my phone down for the night and crawled under the covers. I lay there in the dark, still smiling. Maybe, just maybe, the next five days would go by more quickly than I'd thought.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

Staying busy, as always, was my best line of defense. There was plenty to do around the house in preparation for the Fourth of July weekend, and when I say I stayed busy, I mean I became slightly obsessed. I wanted everything to be absolutely perfect when Edward's family came to visit. I was worried about Edward introducing me to his parents, about what they might think about the fact we were dating. Seeing each other? Living together? _Sleeping_ together? I cringed. I didn't want anyone to question the legitimacy of me being hired for this job. I also didn't want to be accused of slacking off on my duties just because Edward and I were in a relationship.

I spent my day off with Angela, which was a welcome and much-needed distraction. We drove to West County so she could show me the home she and Ben decided to buy. We went for dress fittings and laughed over dinner. We stayed up until midnight, tying what felt like thousands of tiny little bows on little bags of candies that would be used for wedding favors. It was a productive day, one I sorely needed. Spending time with Angela reminded me of a whole different reality I needed to start focusing on; the world as it existed for me beyond Edward's estate.

Finally, I started an online search for apartments, and I sent out inquiry letters to school districts that had my resume on file. I was able to breathe a little easier knowing I was already accumulating a nice-enough cushion in my savings account to be able to handle the move and sustain myself for a while if I didn't get a new job right away. Thinking about it made me sad, but it was absolutely something that had to be done. The summer wouldn't last forever, and I needed to prepare for the fall.

Finally— _finally_ —it was time for Edward to come back home. He took the redeye from the West Coast, and I was sound asleep when he joined me in bed. I was awoken by the sound of him laughing quietly behind me.

"Edward?" I mumbled and then yawned. Breathing deeply through my nose, I smiled as I recognized the scent of Edward's soap. Turning toward the source, I sighed and pressed my nose against the cool, damp skin of his bare chest. "Mmmm… You smell good."

"I thought I might have woken you up when I came in. I tried to be quiet while I showered." Edward wrapped his arms around me while I snuggled against him. "You were _out_. Did you know you talk in your sleep?"

"I do not!" I yawned again.

"You really did." He kissed the top of my head, still chuckling. "It was cute."

"Good thing you said you can sleep through anything," I blinked my eyes, trying to wake up. "What did I say?"

"When I got in bed, I kissed your shoulder and you asked me, 'What is this tomfoolery?'"

"'Tomfoolery'?" I laughed then. "No way. I don't think I've ever used that word in my life."

"That's what you said." He shrugged. "Mmmm… Roll back over."

When I did as requested, Edward situated us so he could spoon against me. "It's feels so fucking good to be able to come home and hold you like this."

"I think so, too." I smiled into the darkness. Edward placed a tiny kiss on my ear, and I shivered when his exhaled breath tickled my neck. He tightened his hold on me, and I pressed my body back against his lap.

"Be still. Go back to sleep," Edward told me.

"What?" I smiled, moving my hips to rub my backside against him. "No tomfoolery?"

"Bella…" Edward said, growling playfully. "You're making this difficult."

"I thought I was being easy." I giggled. I deliberately pressed against him again and was rewarded by the sound of Edward's low moan as he buried his face into my hair.

"I'm trying to be good here."

"Good?" I asked. I turned my head to peek at him over my shoulder. "Why are you trying to be good when I'd like you to be _bad_?"

"You're killin' me, Smalls." Edward chuckled then and gripped my shoulder, pulling me onto my back so I could look at him more fully. Half above me with his weight supported on one arm, Edward pushed my hair away from my face and looked down at me with a curiously tender expression on his face. "I didn't want to do this."

"Oh!" Frowning then, I bit my lip and tried to roll away. Oddly, I felt like some pervert who'd been trying to coerce an unwilling partner into sex. "I was just teasing, Edward. I didn't mean to make you feel—"

"Don't." Edward held me in place. "I'm messing this all up." He closed his eyes, giving me a moment to appreciate the sculpted beauty of his face in the milky morning light that was beginning to steal its way into the room. Unable to resist, I reached up to trace my finger down the side of his jaw. Edward turned his face to the side, kissing my wrist before looking at me again. "As much as I would love nothing more than to reacquaint myself with every single inch of your beautiful body right now, I told myself I wouldn't do that. I didn't want you to think sex is the reason why I looked forward to coming home."

"I wouldn't think that," I shook my head, slowly smiling once more. "But I wouldn't be offended if it was at least _one_ thing you looked forward to."

"Oh, I've looked forward to it, all right." He gave me the crooked smile I loved. "But I was trying to be respectful."

"You're so oddly old fashioned sometimes." I giggled. "I appreciate the gesture, Edward. I honestly do."

"Really?"

"Really, really." I nodded. I pushed my fingers into the back of his hair and pulled just a little until Edward complied and brought his head down to kiss me, soft and slow. I sighed against his lips. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

When I lifted my arms up over my head, Edward took my silent cue and pulled my tank top away from my body, lowering his face to pepper the newly exposed skin with kisses and nips that made me squirm. I tangled my fingers into his hair, biting my lip and shivering as my body came alive beneath his touch. When he moved beneath the blankets and swirled his tongue around my navel, I lifted my hips so his fingers could remove the last remaining barrier of clothes between us. Then Edward reemerged, turning my body away from him.

In the same spooning position we'd been in before, Edward sucked and lightly bit at my neck beneath my ear and down my shoulder. His open palm pressed down the front of my body until he cupped me between the legs, making me turn my face into the pillow to muffle the light moans his touch forced from me. His fingers were like magic, playing me like an instrument. I bent at the waist, needing more, positioning myself for him. Then he brought my leg up so he could slip inside my body, and we both sighed in unison.

I don't think I'd ever felt so emotionally connected to anyone in my life than I did in that moment. Edward moved in me, slowly and deeply. My body instinctively moved in tandem with his, receding and pulling, pushing and giving. Unlike the first time we'd been together, this wasn't frantic. It was almost like a well-choreographed dance. In fact, it was so beautiful, I probably could've cried. I had to bite my lip until it almost bled just to keep myself from whispering the words of love that crashed into the back of my throat. It was extremely hard to do when he reached around to press his fingers between my legs again. The combination of his fingers at the front of me and his body slowly thrusting deep into my body sent me straight over the edge.

"Oh! Edward!" I whisper-yelled. My thighs clenched around his hand as the deep tremors started inside me, spiraling outward. He felt my orgasm take hold and waited until I rode it out before he slid his hand away to grip my hip tightly. Bending my body forward, Edward pushed himself into me with a little more force, his movements becoming less controlled. There were three, four more thrusts against me before I felt Edward's body tense. He groaned against the back of my neck as his body stilled.

I lay there and felt him breathe heavily into my hair. Edward slowly pulled out of my body but remained curled around me, holding me tightly in the cocoon of his arms. Within minutes, his breathing slowed and I felt him relax into sleep. I lay there for quite a while, listening to him breathing and feeling his heart beat steadily against my back. Edward had met his goal tonight. I felt respected, cared for. Finally, with dawn on the horizon, I fell asleep in his arms.

When I woke, if not for the sight of Edward's suitcase open on the floor beside the bed, I might've convinced myself I'd dreamt his homecoming. I was alone in bed, and the house was silent. Quickly, I went down to my own room so I could shower and dress for the day before the rest of the staff arrived.

"Bella?" Edward looked up as I passed his office door. "Can you come in here? I need to talk to you."

"Sure." I self-consciously tried to fix my hair. "What's up?"

"I'm sorry I left you this morning. I had an early call with Riley Biers for that article he's writing. You looked so peaceful, and I didn't want to wake you."

"That's okay." I smiled. "How did the interview go?"

"Fine." Edward shrugged. "That's not really what I wanted to talk to you about. I was looking at your grocery order for next weekend."

"Is something wrong?" I asked, worried. I stepped around Edward's desk to look at his computer screen.

"You have a lot of…" Edward began, pressing his lips together, "…healthy food."

"You eat this stuff all the time." I frowned. "I wasn't sure what to order for your family."

"I think now that the photoshoot's over, I can afford to be a little more lax on the diet." Edward chuckled and patted his flat stomach. "After all, it's the Fourth of July."

"So, less fresh greens and more red meat?" I raised an eyebrow. "I can do that."

"How about less mineral water?" Edward highlighted an item on the list and deleted it. "And more beer."

"Domestic or imported?" I asked. "Heineken? Guinness?"

"Vitamin R." Edward chuckled. "Rainier beer, if you can get it. Cans. Lots of it. If you can't get that, Natty Light will do."

"Okay…" I cocked my head to the side. His family wanted cheap beer? "Anything else?"

"Pizza, chips, brats, pork steaks, burgers. Think all-American Fourth of July food. There's no need for this fancy stuff." Edward went down the list on his computer, deleting more items. "Any one of them would rather have a ham sandwich than a salad with sprouts. Know what I mean?"

"What kind of food does Jackie like to eat?" I asked.

"I love that you want to know." Edward smiled widely then and patted his knee. I sat down across his lap and put my arms around his shoulders, letting my fingers play with the back of his hair. "He doesn't like food that's mixed together. For instance, he won't eat macaroni and cheese. He likes noodles but plain. He likes sliced cheese but not melted."

"Gotcha." I smiled.

"Hot dogs but no ketchup or mustard. He likes peanut butter but not crunchy."

"Soda?"

"Non-caffeinated." Edward shrugged. "That's a Lauren rule. He'll drink just about anything we've got in the fridge, but he doesn't like ice."

"Good to know." I nodded. "I don't want to screw this up."

"You can't." Edward smiled. "Just be you. You aren't going to be on your own, Bella. I'll be here, and the kitchen staff has already worked with Jackie."

"Okay."

"I know you're handling all of the details and putting in the orders, but when my family's here, I'd really like for you to have to work as little as possible. I want you to be able to enjoy yourself and get to know everyone. Let them get to know you. I have a wonderful staff. Let them do their work."

"If that's what you want." I smiled.

"What I want is to take your cute ass back upstairs to bed." Edward chuckled and patted my backside. "But I have to get some work done down here. Can you ask Mrs. Waters to round the girls up around 10:00? I'd like to have a meeting with the kitchen staff. If you're free this afternoon, I thought I could take you out to lunch."

"You want to go out?"

"I'm about to introduce the woman I'm dating to my family. I figured it would be nice to say I've actually taken you out on more than one date." Edward laughed.

"Sure. I'd like that." I smiled.

At 10:00, Edward led a morning meeting in the kitchen. He reminded the housekeepers at work that day of the extra things that needed to be done when his family visited at the end of the week.

"Bella not only works for me, but the two of us are in a relationship," Edward said, surprising me with his announcement. "She'll be available to you if you need her, but I'd like her to be able to spend time getting to know my family. I'm counting on all of you to help things run smoothly and to treat her with the same respect you always have."

I blushed furiously when Mrs. Waters winked in my direction and then laughingly told Edward she'd won the betting pool among the housekeepers.

"I bet $20 you two would make it official before the holiday!"

For lunch, Edward drove us to Grafton, Illinois. We strolled hand in hand while we looked through little shops along the river road, and then we stopped to eat lunch at a winery. Surprisingly, Edward spent the day without being recognized or approached. We ordered ice cream cones and sat in a grassy place near the river, enjoying the treat before we had to go back home. Edward leaned back on his elbows, watching a pontoon boat go by on the water.

"Do you like boating?" he asked.

"Sure." I nodded.

"Doc owns a fishing boat." Edward shrugged. "We used to go out all the time. I think I'd like to own a boat someday. Doesn't make much sense right now, though."

"Your summers are too busy for you to properly enjoy one." I frowned.

"I have an idea." Edward smiled, sitting up. "Let's go on a trip together when the season ends. Some place we can take a powerboat out. An island, maybe?"

"Seriously?" I smiled.

"We've always been great near water." Edward chuckled. "What do you think?"

"That sounds amazing." I smiled. It gave me hope every time Edward alluded to our relationship beyond the baseball season, even if so much was still unclear. I felt my smile falter, and I bit my lip. "But…"

"What?"

My ability to go on a trip with Edward depended on whether or not I was working in the fall. "I'll think about it, okay?"

"Okay." He nodded, his brows lowered. He stared out at the water, suddenly looking moody. I hated that I'd brought the tone of our conversation down. "Are you ready to go?"

"Sure."

I dropped my unfinished ice cream in a trash can we passed on our way back to the car and walked quietly beside him. Edward had his hands thrust deep in his pockets and walked with his shoulders hunched forward. We didn't talk, and despite the hot summer sun above us, I shivered with an internal chill.

The same chill was with me when I rolled over in the middle of the night and found that Edward wasn't lying beside me. Quietly, I got out of bed and pulled a long-sleeved t-shirt on over my sleep clothes before walking downstairs. When a tour of the house told me Edward wasn't indoors, I finally found him outside on the patio.

"Edward?" I asked, pulling the cuffs of my shirt down to cover my palms. "What are you doing out here?"

"Couldn't sleep," Edward replied into the darkness. "And before you suggest I try your warm milk trick, let me tell you that I already did. I don't know how you can drink that stuff. It's disgusting."

"I'm sorry." I shrugged one shoulder. "Can I get you something else? Hot tea, maybe? Decaf—"

"No." Edward sat up on the chair where he'd been lounging. "I'd hoped not to wake you."

"I wish I knew what I could do to help," I told him. "You have a game tomorrow. You'll be really tired."

"Come over here and let me hold you," Edward said then. I walked over and sat across his lap, pulling my fingers through the top of his hair while he rubbed his scratchy cheek against my shirt front.

"What's wrong, Edward?"

"Why do you think something's wrong?" His reply was muffled against my shirt, so I put one finger under his chin and lifted his face to look at me.

"Because you've been acting strange since this afternoon."

"That obvious?"

"Uh, yeah." I snorted. "I thought we were having a nice time on our date, and then…"

"And then you told me that you needed to _think_ about going on a trip with me at the end of the season."

"Well, that's because I _do_ need to think about it," I argued.

"Either you want to go away with me, or you don't. It's pretty simple."

Even in the moonlight, I could read Edward's expression. I'd actually wounded his pride! "Are you thinking this is my way of letting you know I'm just really not that into you?"

"I don't know." He lowered his head. "Maybe?"

"Well, let me clear that up. I'm _way_ into you, Edward. I'm _way_ into _us."_ He looked up at me, and I kissed him softly on the mouth. "I _love_ that you invited me on a trip. I'm just a little worried about where I might be working in the fall. If I get a job, I'll probably still be in a probationary period and I won't be able to take time off right away. There's a lot for me to consider."

"That's it?"

"That's it." I shrugged. "So will you stop sulking, please?"

"I wasn't sulking." He made a face.

"You were _so_ sulking."I giggled. "Can we go back to bed now?"

I laughed out loud when Edward stood and tossed me over his shoulder. He clapped one hand on my backside, making me laugh even harder. I didn't think it was even possible for Edward to feel insecure, but there it was. At least we talked about it. We were getting better at this whole communication thing.

 ***~*~Reviews are better than an Edward lock screen. Leave one!~*~***


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Before Edward left again for three games in Arizona, we sat down together to hammer out the details of what looked to be his busiest stretch of the summer. He would return on Friday for the first of ten games hosted at Busch Stadium. Under different circumstances, I'd be thrilled that Edward would be in town that long, but three games against the Nationals, a four-game series against the Marlins, and then another trio of games played against the Dodgers would take Edward right into the All-Star Break. His family would arrive on Saturday the first and leave again on the fifth, giving Edward less than a week afterward to finalize plans with his LPF group for their first charity fundraising dinner that would be held during the break. Oh, and there was also the little detail of the Midsummer Classic to consider. Edward was looking really good to be voted in as part of the National League All-Star Team. If he got the vote, he'd be flying to Miami to play in the All-Star game on Tuesday, only to rush back to St. Louis for his charity dinner the following evening.

"I couldn't do this without you." Edward shook his head and pulled our joined hands to his mouth to brush a kiss against my knuckles.

"Victoria's handling everything for your charity dinner, right? She's taken care of those details?"

"Right. And I've asked Alice to help out with the venue and table decorations and flowers. All that stuff." Edward nodded. "She's great with that kind of thing. She won't allow Victoria to go overboard, and I know it'll be classy."

"Okay." I pushed my pencil eraser against my lower lip while I studied the calendar in front of us. "I'm not sure how much I'd be able to help, but if you need me to assist with any of that, just let me know."

"All I need you to do for that event is make sure you have your schedule free for the day to visit a salon or whatever it is you'd like to do to be ready."

"Be ready?"

"Well, you're going to be my date for the evening, aren't you?" Edward asked.

"I am?"

"Did I not ask already?" Edward furrowed his brow. "Shit, Bella. I'm sorry if I might've taken it for granted, but I thought we'd already figured that one out."

"I'd love to be your date." I smiled. "But I'm going to have to schedule a shopping trip. I don't own anything appropriate to wear for a formal dinner like this."

"Whatever you want." Edward grinned. "If I'm going to be auctioning my ass off to the highest bidder, I'm going to need your support to get me through it."

"As long as whatever rich old lady buys you understands that your _ass_ is not part of the prize package," I teased.

"Jasper's putting himself through the same humiliation." Edward chuckled. "I've got six guys from our team, and Victoria's assured me there are going to be at least five other teams represented. She was waiting to hear from a few more. Shouldn't be so bad."

"I think it's going to be great." I smiled. "So that's taken care of, and you don't need to worry about a thing when your family's here. Your staff has everything in order, and I'll make sure things run smoothly on this end. All _you_ have to do is focus on playing well and spending time with your son."

"God, that sounds good." Edward sighed and lay back against the couch. "I miss him so fucking much!"

"I know you do." I smiled. Pushing the papers aside, I moved my body to nestle under Edward's arm and rested my hand on his chest. "Have you talked to him? Is he excited about the trip?"

"He is." Edward smiled. "He told me he likes airplanes now. That's a really good thing. I'm hoping to get him out here more this year."

"I'm really looking forward to meeting him. _Officially_." I smiled. "Your whole family."

"They're all going to love you," Edward said, kissing the top of my head.

God, I hoped he was right.

Saturday afternoon, I fidgeted with my skirt as I paced back and forth near the front door. Edward had sent a car to pick his relatives up from the airport, knowing that our vehicles wouldn't be large enough to bring back four adults, three children, and all of their luggage. I nervously waited by the door while Edward was upstairs showering. Because of his schedule, he would only have about an hour to visit with his family before he had to leave for the stadium. I hoped and prayed their flight arrived on time. I was nervous enough about meeting all of them, and I didn't want to have to do it alone.

"Edward!" I yelled over my shoulder when I saw the nose-end of a shiny black limousine start to pull up the drive. "They're here!"

"Perfect!" I could hear Edward come down the stairs behind me. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." I bit my lip and smoothed down my skirt. I wasn't sure what to wear. Meeting a doctor and his wife? I wanted to impress them, but I didn't want to be too obvious. I'd worn a nice skirt, a button-up shirt, and comfortable flats.

Edward opened the door wide and jogged down the front steps. I walked behind him, trying to give him space to greet the family he'd missed so much in the past months.

"Where's my boy?" Edward asked, throwing open the back door of the limo before the driver had a chance to exit the vehicle to do so. I could make out scrambling through the tinted windows before Edward was nearly tackled by his son, who had launched himself into Edward's arms. I felt like my smile could split my face in two as I watched Edward step back with his son wrapped around him, the two of them holding tightly to one another while Edward kissed Jackie's cheek and hugged him to his chest. The boy's thin arms and legs were wrapped around Edward, and I could've cried over the joy of the moment. I knew Edward was. He reached one hand up to wipe his face as he finally placed Jackie back down to earth. "How was the flight, buddy? Did you have a good time?"

"We flew on a Boeing 737, Dad! One hundred and seventy-five standard seats, and I got to sit by the window! I wasn't scared!"

"That's great, pal! Ma?" Edward extended a hand toward the woman who was pulling herself out of the back seat. I took a deep breath and pushed my hair back as I watched her begin to rise and rise… and rise from the low seat of the vehicle. I know my eyes were wide when I was finally able to take in all of Esme Cullen. She was _a_ _lot_ of woman to take in. I guess in my mind, I'd imagined Esme to be small and petite like Alice. She wasn't. Mrs. Cullen was only an inch or two shorter than Edward and was thick and curvy. She pulled her son in for a hug against her ample chest, and Edward laughed as he buried his face into her wavy, caramel-colored hair.

"Get yer hands offa my woman!"

My eyes nearly bugged from my head when I saw Doctor Cullen exit the vehicle behind his wife. If Esme's stature was a surprise to me, I think Edward's stepfather was even more so; he was the physical opposite of his spouse and didn't look like any doctor I'd ever seen in my life. The man was slight, and I mean _slight_. From where I stood, he didn't seem much taller than me, and I would've guessed he didn't weigh more than one hundred and fifty pounds soaking wet. He had dark blond hair cut into… a mullet? It was short on top and longer than shoulder length in the back. He also had a bushy straw-colored mustache that covered his top lip, and his shirt with cut-off sleeves clearly showed off a tattoo of Bugs Bunny on his upper arm. I could more easily picture him working as a ride attendant at a county fair than wearing scrubs and standing near an operating table. Edward released his mother and offered a hug for the smaller man, laughing and smiling as he was reunited with his parents.

I blinked and tried to chase the shock I felt away from my expression as I watched two children emerge, a boy and a girl, who immediately began chasing each other around the limousine.

"Will you two stop? Jesus Christ! You kids drive me to drink!"

The words came from a woman who stepped from the vehicle, pushing her messy blonde hair back into what might have started out as a very put-together ponytail. She looked like she'd been through the ringer, and I suppose that traveling with energetic children would do that to a woman. She pushed her hands against her lower back, stretching her body out and showing off what was obviously a very large baby bump.

"Unless I'm mistaken," Edward began before he chuckled, "it looks like drinks are off limits for you again, Rose! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Drinkin' is what got her into this condition," a man laughed, taking Edward's hand and shaking it warmly. "Damn good to see you, brother! We wanted to share the news in person."

"Get in here." Edward smiled and pulled him in for a hug. Height to height, the two men were a match, though Edward's stepbrother, Emmett, was built more like a football player; big and bulky. "How far along is she?"

"Just five months." Emmett smiled, looking proud. "But she's as big as a house already! I'm thinking we might have twins."

"We better not!" Rose slapped at her husband. "I'm getting him snipped. This baby is the first and last surprise of this nature. I can promise you that! Where's the bathroom? I need to pee!"

When Rose turned toward the steps, it seemed to be the first time anyone in the group even noticed I'd been standing there. At least I'd been given a few moments to observe them and pull myself together. This was a very colorful group of people, and my mind had created nothing to compare.

"Ma? Doc? Everyone, this is Bella!" Edward smiled as he made the group introduction.

"Hi." I fluttered my fingers in an awkward little wave, even as they all started moving up the stairs toward me.

"Show me where the nearest bathroom is, and I'll be your new best friend." Rose smiled.

"Sure." I grinned. "It's right down the hall."

"While you're at it, show me how to get to the backyard," Doc suggested. "It's chew-thirty."

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"Time to throw in a digger?" Doc grinned. "Skoal?"

"Don't you go spitting all over Edward's nice patio!" Esme instructed, wagging a finger at her husband.

"Dip in the lip makes the ladies flip." He chuckled. "Don't worry, woman. I got a bottle with me."

"I…"

"Come on, Doc. We'll take you outside." Edward laughed, hoisting Jackie up to sit piggyback style. Emmett followed the men out of the room.

I felt like I was caught in a whirlwind and couldn't keep up with the commotion of it all. Meeting Edward's family was not at all like I'd imagined it would be.

"You kids stop running in the house!" Rose stepped from the bathroom and yelled directly behind me, making me jump.

"Ooh. Look at you." Esme smiled, reaching down to take my hand between both of her own. "Pretty as a picture, but you're white as a sheet! I hope we haven't put you off. We can be a pretty loud bunch."

"I'm…" I shook my head and grinned. "I'm just really very happy to meet you."

"Likewise." She smiled down at me. "Edward's told us a lot about you. I've been dying to get to know the woman who's keeping him in line!"

"Oh! I don't know about that…" I blushed.

"I do. But we can talk about that later. Do you mind showing me to my room? I'd love to change out of my travel clothes."

"Absolutely. It's right up the stairs." I grinned. "Rose, your room is downstairs, but you're welcome to join us if you'd like a tour."

"Hell yeah." Rose nodded. "Edward hasn't had any of us out here, yet. This place is amazing!"

"Alice has done a great job getting it finished." I smiled.

"Where is Mary Alice?" Esme asked then. "I told that girl what time our flight came in. I thought she'd be here to meet us!"

"She should be here soon, then." I shrugged.

"How about right now?" Alice smiled, walking up the stairs behind us. "Sorry I'm late. I had to drop Jasper off at the stadium before I came over. Oh, my God, Rose. What is that?" Alice pointed at Rose's distended stomach.

"I'm growing a pumpkin for Halloween." Rose grinned. "Surprise!"

" _Such_ a surprise," Alice mumbled with a half-smile on her face. "Who doesn't like surprises? Surprises are good, right?"

"Mary!"

My head turned when I heard a small boy's voice, and I smiled to see Jackie run up the stairs with Edward following behind. Jackie hugged Alice around the waist, and she pulled off his baseball cap to ruffle her hands through his copper-colored hair.

"Hey, buddy! I've missed you!"

"I was just telling Jackie that you put a bed in his room so Grant can sleep in there with him. He wanted to check it out," Edward explained.

The boys then disappeared into Jackie's room, Esme went into her room to change clothes, Alice took Rosalie downstairs to show her where she and Emmett and Sophie would be staying during their visit… and I stood alone in the hallway, trying to get my bearings.

"Bella?" I slowly turned toward the sound of Edward's voice. He stood, leaning in Jackie's doorway. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay." I smiled.

"Want to come over here while we have a minute?"

I nodded and pushed my hair back, walking over to join Edward. I could see that Jackie was already sitting in the center of his bed, opening a laptop in front of him.

"He's gonna Skype with his Mom," Edward informed me. "Let her know that the flight came in all right."

"Okay." I grinned.

"Jackie?" Edward called out to his son. "Do you remember Bella? This is the lady I told you about."

The boy didn't say a word to me. He lowered his head and tugged the brim of his ball cap down to shade the top half of his face while he looked at the screen in front of him.

"It's nice to see you again," I told him. "If you need anything while you're here, just let me know, okay?"

Edward's fingers curled around mine, and he squeezed my hand. I smiled up at him as we both stepped out of the room.

"Don't worry if he doesn't talk to you right away."

"I won't." I shrugged. "It's fine."

"Bella?" The shock on Edward's face must've reflected my own. We both turned back to the summons that came in a quiet voice from his son.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Can I have something to drink?"

"Sure thing." My grin actually hurt my cheeks. "Juice? Water?"

"Juice," Jackie replied, not looking up from his laptop.

"Do you want me to…?"

"I've got it." I smiled at Edward before leaving the room to get the requested drink. Meeting Edward's family might've been a little overwhelming, but granting the one small request from the boy upstairs made every single bit of the stress worth it. I hurried to get his drink, and when I got back to Jackie's room, I found Edward lying on his side next to where Jackie sat pushing buttons on his computer. Holding his head up with one bent arm beneath him, Edward smiled up at me when I walked into the room.

"Here's your juice," I said, holding the cup out to Jackie. Without meeting my eyes, Jackie reached for the cup and then looked down at it.

"Not melty?" he asked.

"No." I smiled. "It's a double-sided cup. I put some in the freezer for you. It keeps your drink cold, but there's no ice."

"What do you say, pal?" Edward nudged his son.

"Thank you," Jackie replied. I could've sworn I saw his eyes dart up at me briefly before he took a drink of his juice.

"I'll just leave you two to your video chat," I told them, backing out of the room once more.

Outside in the hallway, I couldn't contain my excitement and broke into a ridiculous little dance. It was a cabbage patch victory dance; arms extended, hips swaying, and turning in circles. Unfortunately, I was mid-twirl when Esme emerged from her room and saw me. I stopped when I noticed her there, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks.

"What are you doing, dear?" Esme asked.

"I…" I dropped my head so that my hair curtained my face before deciding to just come clean. "I was doing a happy dance?" I looked up when I heard her chuckle.

"A happy dance? I like it. You'll have to teach me some of those moves later! But for now, I think you better show me where the men are. If I know Doc and Emmett, they're already six beers in and searching the kitchen for something to throw on the grill!"

"Oh! Sure." I nodded.

Esme was right. When we got out back, we found her husband and Emmett lighting the grill. Rose and Alice had pulled chairs over to sit close to the pool where Sophie and Grant were already splashing and swimming in the cool water. I helped Esme get seated with the women before stepping over to the men to see if they needed anything.

"Dr. Cullen?" I cleared my throat. "The kitchen is stocked with anything you two might want to grill. If you let me know what you'd like—"

"Doctor Cullen?" Emmett snorted around a swallow of beer.

"No, no." His father shook his head. "Just Doc."

"Oh, sorry," I smiled. "I… didn't know if you preferred a more formal title."

"It's not a title." He lifted a hand to press down the sides of his moustache. "Just my name, honey. Doc."

"Did you think he was, like, a _doctor_?" Emmett guffawed.

"I… wasn't sure." I raised my shoulders. Now that I thought of it, I'd never really heard Edward or Alice refer to his profession. They'd called their stepfather 'Doc,' and I'd made the error, once again, of assuming too much.

"He's a doctor, all right." Emmett laughed. "A _love_ doctor. Doctor of poon—"

"Emmett! Stop being so dang gross!" Rose yelled from near the pool. "You're gonna have that girl thinkin' you ain't got no class at all!"

"His real name is Carl," Emmett explained then, looking instantly contrite. "Everyone just calls him Doc."

"How did you get that nickname?" I asked, eager to really get to know this family.

"I was working in a pit crew," Doc told me. "That's when I met Esme. She and a couple of her girlfriends came to the drag races down at the speedway, and I saw her sitting up there in the stands."

"He looked like a little ol' rabbit, darting around, in and out of the cars down on that track," Esme smiled as she joined in the explanation. "Everyone thought so."

"I was quick back then." Doc smiled. "So I got this tattoo." He turned his body to show me the Bugs Bunny tattoo on his shoulder. "You know, this guy always asks, 'What's up, Doc?""

"Everyone started calling him Doc." Emmett shrugged.

I smiled. The explanation certainly cleared things up for me and explained Doc's unconventional appearance.

"Do you still work with race cars?"

"Stock cars." He grinned. "No. I gave that up years ago when I got that one there to agree to see me. She didn't want to date a man who was traveling all over for work. So I took a job as a mechanic for a guy I knew up in Washington and settled down."

"Then when Mr. Big in there finally started making some money, Doc opened his own shop."

"He wanted to buy us a house," Esme said of Edward. "But I was really happy with our double-wide. That was our home. So Edward bought us a big piece of property instead, and we moved the trailer onto it. Emmett helped to build Doc's garage out back so he could finally open his own place."

"Now I focus on restoring classic vehicles." Doc smiled. "Like that beauty of a truck Edward sent my way. That's _your_ baby, right?" He whistled through his teeth. "That one's been a project of love."

" _You're_ the one who's been working on my truck?" My eyes widened with surprise.

"I told you I sent it to the best," Edward said near my ear before kissing my cheek. I startled, surprised he'd managed to come up behind me without having heard him approach.

"I… didn't know." I shook my head. "Wow! Is it… almost finished?"

"I've got some pictures." Doc smiled. "I'll show you later. It's coming along real nicely. As a matter of fact, I've already had a friend of mine show interest in it. If you ever feel like selling it, I'll hook you up. He's offered twenty-five, but when I'm done, I know you could get thirty."

"Thirty?"

"Thousand," Emmett laughed.

"What?" My eyes were wide. I could hardly imagine what magic Doc had performed to make my truck worth anywhere near that amount. It had only months left from ending up in a junk yard when Edward had sent it off to be fixed.

"I talked to Mrs. Waters." Edward put his arm around me and squeezed my waist. "She's going to bring some burger patties out. She's going to send out the rest of the things for lunch, too. Just relax and enjoy your afternoon, okay?"

"Okay." I smiled up at him.

"And you jokers," Edward said, pointing a finger back and forth between Doc and Emmett with mock seriousness, "don't you go sharing all of my most embarrassing stories! I'd like to come home and find out that you haven't managed to run her off."

"We'll be on our best behavior." Emmett grinned.

"You don't even know what that is!" Rose rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, Edward. We'll take care of her."

"I've really got to go." Edward smiled down at me. I couldn't really explain it. His eyes were a lighter shade of green that I'd ever seen. Something about him seemed almost buoyant. Edward seemed so completely relaxed, peaceful, and I could practically feel the happiness rolling off of him in waves. Being around his family was definitely a good thing for him. "Jackie's upstairs taking a nap."

"I'll wake him up when the food's ready," Esme told Edward. "Otherwise, he won't be able to sleep tonight."

"I'll walk you out." I smiled up at him.

Edward and I held hands as we walked to his car, stopping only once so he could pick up the duffel bag he'd left by the garage door. I leaned against the wall when Edward lowered his face to kiss me softly and slowly. I sighed into him, running my hands up and down the front of his worn t-shirt. My hands paused when he pulled away, and I noticed a slight frown turning down the sides of his mouth.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing, really." Edward shook his head. "It's just… I heard you talking with Doc. I'm really sorry about the confusion with his name. I didn't know you thought he was a doctor. I would've told you…"

"It's fine," I smiled.

"You aren't disappointed?"

"With what?" I asked.

"That… my family isn't all that you thought it would be." Edward looked so earnestly concerned. I reached my fingers up to press against his lips, stopping further words.

"You're right. They _aren't_ what I thought they would be. They're _more_."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." I nodded, smiling widely. "They're _so_ much more." His shoulders dropped as he exhaled, tension leaving his body again. Had he really been worried I wouldn't like his family? I stood up on my tip-toes and pulled his face down for one more quick kiss. "Thank you for letting me get to know them. I feel like I'm getting to know _you_ better, too."

"You are." Edward smiled. "This is where I'm from, who I am."

"And what you are," I began, giggling, "is very close to being late for batting practice. You need to go!"

I watched him lope into the garage and throw his things into the back of his car before backing away. Inside, I felt extremely honored. I knew this part of Edward, his family, was something he didn't share with many people. It was a privilege and one I did not take lightly. It was a happy surprise to find out his family was so down to earth, but upon reflection, I wasn't sure why I would've imagined them to be any other way. Alice and Edward both had very open, easy-going personalities. Why wouldn't his family be the same?

Summer days, children laughing, food cooked on the grill, fun conversation, and ice cold beer have a good way of creating a relaxed atmosphere. At noon the following day, I was reminded that Edward's easy-going attitude had a way of changing at the drop of a hat.

 **~*~* Reviews are better than carnival rides! Leave one!*~*~**


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

"You son of a bitch! I'm going to fucking _kill_ you!"

My eyes darted over to where the children were playing in the pool, laughing and squealing loudly enough that they hadn't heard Edward's growled threat.

"Edward! Watch your language!" Esme warned.

"Kids! Out of the pool! Time to go inside!" Rose quickly instructed the children to get out of the water. I moved to help her as Emmett grabbed Edward in a bear-hold grip to keep him from chasing after Jasper, who'd pulled his dripping frame from the opposite side of the pool to remove himself from the imminent danger of Edward pummeling him.

"Edward, don't you dare threaten him!" Alice yelled at her brother.

"Mary Alice, how _could_ you?" Esme wailed.

I pulled a towel around Jackie's shoulders and led him into the house, anxious to get him away from the scene that was unfolding outside. How had such a peaceful morning turned ugly so quickly?

Edward had been in a brilliant mood all morning. The team had won the night before, and Edward was in his element, spending time with his family. We'd all agreed to play in the pool early in the day because Edward would once again be called away to work in the afternoon. Alice and Jasper had come over to join the group. The children played in the shallow end of the pool while the adults hit a beach ball back and forth across the deeper water. When Doc suggested we play a game of chicken, Edward dove under the water and came up with me sitting on his shoulders and giggling. We all laughed like crazy when Esme decided to lift Doc up out of the water the same way.

Emmett's innocent concern for his wife changed everything.

"Nah. I don't think we better play, not while Rose is knocked up. Wouldn't want her or those babies to get hurt!"

"Baby," Rose reminded him, pouting. "Singular. Quit insisting it'll be twins, Emmett! You'll jinx me!"

"We better not play then, either, huh, sweetheart?" Jasper asked, looking over at Alice. The expression of pure shock and fear that came over her face as she looked up and around at her family members was all it took. Alice dropped one hand to cover her midriff, and her lower lip trembled.

"Oh, shit, Mary Alice," Doc mumbled.

Everything that happened next was a blur. I was practically tossed off Edward's shoulders as he went into motion. I came up, spitting water and pushing my hair out of my eyes to see Emmett dive for Edward, stopping him from getting to Jasper, who scrambled to get away.

I hurried to help Rose get the kids out of the pool, stopping with Jackie by the door while she ushered Sophie and Grant inside.

"You two go with Bella. Us adults have some things we need to discuss."

"Let's get into dry clothes and get some lunch, okay?" I asked.

"Don't worry." Grant put his hand on Jackie's shoulder. "Your dad isn't really going to kill that guy. He probably just wants to punch him in the nose."

"That's because he did coitus to Aunt Alice," Sophie offered.

"What?" I asked, eyes wide.

"Coitus. That's how babies are made."

"How old are you again?" I asked.

"I'm almost twelve." Sophie shrugged. "I'll probably get my period soon. Mom and Dad told me all about vaginas and penises."

"Let's, uh, not discuss the details in front of the boys, all right?" I asked. Sophie nodded and went downstairs to change clothes.

"Let's go, boys. Upstairs." I sighed. Both of the boys went into Jackie's room to do as instructed. I let out a deep breath once I finally got to the room I shared with Edward. What in the hell was going on outside? Edward had completely lost his temper. I'd never seen him so furious, but… Alice was pregnant? When I really thought about it, the clues had all been there: her moodiness, not feeling well, and hinting she'd been thinking of moving up her wedding date. Edward's reaction—well, her whole family's reaction, really—was probably the very reason she hadn't said anything to anyone.

I hurried to get dressed so I could get back outdoors. If I knew Edward, they would all need help getting him calmed down.

Thankfully, Mrs. Waters was already showing Sophie how to put a movie on the big screen in the living room when I got downstairs.

"Can you make sure the kids have some drinks and snacks brought in?" I asked her. "The, uh, grownups are dealing with something…"

"I heard them dealing with it all the way in the kitchen." Mrs. Waters nodded, understandingly. "You go on out there."

Thankfully, any yelling that had been taking place had stopped by the time I got back to where the adults sat on the patio. Well, everyone except Edward. He paced back and forth, clearly agitated.

"What were you thinking, Alice? I thought we'd talked about all of this!"

"You're not my father, Edward!" Alice defiantly stated. "Quit lecturing me!"

"Well, I _am_ your father," Doc said then. "I've raised you, and I think I deserve a little damn respect. How could you have kept this from us? Your mother shouldn't have had to get this news this way!"

"I'm sorry!" Alice wailed. "I was going to tell you when you were all here! I didn't want to say anything because I knew Edward was going to freak out!"

"Of course I'm freaked out!" Edward fisted his hair. "You're my little sister, damn it!"

I walked up behind Edward and quietly placed my palm between his shoulder blades. Immediately, he dropped his arms and turned to look at me. "Did you know about this?"

"No one knew." Alice shook her head, speaking for me. "Just me and Jasper, and we only found out a couple weeks ago."

"So much for a nice long engagement," Esme muttered.

"We've already decided to move the wedding up," Jasper offered. "I love your daughter, and I'm gonna do right by her."

"You damn well better," Emmett growled.

"I think it's exciting," Rose added. "We're pregnant together!" At that, Alice smiled.

"Don't encourage her!" Edward scolded. "This is a mistake."

"Was Jackie a mistake?" Alice's voice rose as she stood to face her brother.

"You fucking know better than that!" Edward stepped away from me and glared down at Alice. "How could you even ask that?"

"Because that's the way you're acting!" Alice spoke loudly. "Like this is some horrible thing. Just because your first marriage didn't work out…"

"Alice, I just don't want you to get hurt!"

" _You're_ hurting me!" She shoved his chest. "You know better than anyone that this isn't going to be easy, Edward. I need your support, you jerk."

"Of course I'll support you," he muttered then. "But damn it, Ally. I didn't want this for you."

"Why?" Alice asked before stepping back. "Because I'm young? What's the difference if I have a baby now or three years from now? I'm still going to be married to a ballplayer, Edward. We'll still have to figure out how to do this around Jasper's schedule. Now or later makes little difference."

"I… don't know." He shook his head, looking defeated.

"I do," Alice told him. She took him by the hands. "The problem, Edward, is that you've spent the last several years blaming yourself for your marriage not working out. You know I love Lauren—she's a great mom—but it wasn't your schedule that destroyed your marriage, Edward. It was her inability to _deal_ with your schedule. She couldn't handle it, but I'm not Lauren."

"She's right, son," Esme said, laying her hand on Edward's shoulder. "Lauren didn't have realistic expectations. The right woman…"

Suddenly, I felt like a hot spotlight was shining on me. Unspoken questions were heavy in the air when Edward turned his eyes to look over at where I stood. I twisted my hands together, wondering what was going on in his mind.

"Please be happy for me, Edward. Please." Alice brought his attention back to her by tugging his hands. "I need you, big brother."

"God. You're probably stubborn enough to pull this off." Edward finally allowed himself to give her a half-grin.

"Stubbornness runs in the family, you ass." Alice smiled. Edward stood then and wrapped his arms around Alice, hugging her to his chest. He raised one hand to point at Jasper over her shoulder.

"You just stay the fuck away from me for a while." He narrowed his eyes at the man. "I'm still pissed at you!"

"Stop it." Alice sniffled and slapped at Edward's arm.

"I need a goddamned drink," Emmett muttered.

"Beer me." Doc nodded in agreement.

"Edward?" I called for his attention, clearing my throat. "I don't want to interrupt, but you'll need to get ready to leave soon."

"I know." He nodded and dropped Alice's hands. "Come inside with me?"

"Sure." I smiled.

"Talk about Beauty and the Beast," I heard Rose say behind us.

"Maybe she can mellow him out," Jasper suggested.

"Watch it," Emmett replied. "Edward might be getting a grip, but I haven't decided not to whoop your ass myself!"

"Are you okay?" I asked once Edward and I stepped into the house.

"I will be," he said after a moment of hesitation. "I almost lost it there for a second. It's a really good thing I've been seeing my therapist again."

"You might need a longer session this week," I teased lightly.

"Fuck. Where's Jackie? Did he hear all that?"

"I don't think so." I shook my head. "He's upstairs, changing clothes. Sophie and Grant, though…"

"I'm going to go see my son." Edward pulled me by the hand. "Do you mind helping me? I'm running behind."

"You check in with Jackie while I'll pack your bag." I grinned.

I dropped Edward's duffle bag on the floor outside Jackie's bedroom door and peeked my head inside to see father and son leaning over Jackie's laptop, discussing baseball stats.

"Sorry to interrupt," I told them. Edward looked up and smiled. All the tension he'd been carrying with him seemed to have dissipated in the few minutes he'd spent with his son.

"I gotta go," Edward said, kissing Jackie on top of his head before standing. "Are you watching the game tonight, buddy?"

"After I talk with Mom," Jackie replied, nodding and still looking at his screen.

"Do you want to come down for lunch?" I asked him.

"Okay."

Jackie closed his laptop and scooted off the bed, walking past me in the doorway to make his way downstairs.

"I'm thinking Jackie's all the therapy you need," I told Edward then.

"He's the best thing that's ever happened to me." Edward smiled. "He _wasn't_ a mistake, Bella. He was _unplanned_ , but he wasn't a mistake."

"I know." I nodded, standing on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Sometimes the best things in life aren't things we plan."

Edward's eyes searched mine for a moment. He raised his hand to brush my hair away from my neck and curled his fingers around the back of my head to tilt my face up to his. I let my eyes flutter close, loving the way he gently pressed his lips to mine. Slowly, warmly, thoughtfully, he kissed me. I felt cherished in the quiet moment.

"Ew. Are you going to do coitus?"

We sprang away from each other when Grant's voice interrupted us, and Edward laughingly growled before grabbing his nephew and tossing him half over his shoulder.

"What do you know about that stuff, little man?" Edward playfully swatted Grant's bottom while the boy giggled.

"Sophie told me!" Grant huffed and squirmed while Edward strode into the room and deposited his nephew on his bed, roughhousing with him.

"Well, don't you be telling Jackie about all of that crap, yet. He's too young."

"Edward? The time…"

"I know, I know." He shook his head, rising once more.

"That's what I came up to tell you!" Grant huffed, straightening his Ninja Turtles t-shirt that had ridden up during their wrestling session. "Jasper says you need to get your butt in gear!"

Edward grabbed his duffle bag and hurried downstairs. I followed behind, accepting one more quick kiss from Edward before he jumped in his car to leave.

When I returned to the kitchen, Alice was waiting for me. Without saying a word, I walked up to her and put my arms around her. Alice hugged me back tightly.

"Don't be mad. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"I'm not mad," I told her, shaking my head. "I understand why you didn't. I wouldn't have wanted to keep that secret from Edward."

"Is he still upset?"

"He'll be fine," I told her. "You were right. You and Jasper are different people. He can't compare you to his past relationship with Lauren."

"Jas says he's going to talk to a couple of the married guys on the team and see if they can get Edward to see things a little differently. It's not like this situation is unheard of. There are a bunch of guys who play ball who also have perfectly happy marriages and families."

"It might not be ideal for everyone," I began, smiling, "but it's the norm for them."

"Would it be ideal for you?" Alice asked, cocking her head to the side. "Would you be able to do it, Bella?"

"Do what?" I asked, raising my brows as I looked at her. "I think it's a little too early for me to start thinking about having babies."

"All of it." Alice shook her head. "You're already dating my brother. It has to have crossed your mind. How it'll all play out in the future, I mean."

"Can I be honest?" I asked, leaning against the counter. "I don't know. We haven't really discussed any of it, yet. I get worried about what will happen at the end of the season. Hell, I don't even know how things are going to work when Mrs. Spreckles comes back."

"Well, you have about three weeks to figure that one out." Alice shrugged.

"Three weeks?" Surprise caused my voice to rise in pitch.

"Edward didn't tell you?" Alice frowned. "Mrs. Spreckles called. Apparently her sister is just as much of a badass as she is. Her recovery isn't taking nearly as long as they thought it would. Lottie's supposed to be back here by the end of the month."

"Shit," I whispered, feeling my shoulders drop. "That isn't much time."

"I'm sorry. I thought he would've mentioned it."

"He's been so busy," I muttered, shaking my head. "Planning for this weekend and possibly the All-Star game. And the fundraiser…"

"Maybe he didn't want to stress you out," Alice suggested.

"Stress? What's that?" I nervously giggled. "I need a drink."

"Have one for me," Alice said, smiling wryly, "because I'm gonna add to your stress in about three seconds."

"How?"

"Stand with me at my wedding?" Alice asked, giving me an adorable puppy-dog expression. "Please?"

"Oh, Alice!" I smiled. "Of course. Of course I will!"

"Thank you!" Alice did a happy little hop and grabbed me in another hug. "I'm so happy that I could cry right now, but that could be the hormones."

"It's definitely the hormones," Rose added, stepping into the room with us. "Just wait until you're big and fat at your wedding. There will be many tears shed."

"Wait…" I shook my head. "When are you doing this? Did you set a date?"

"We're thinking about the middle of November." Alice smiled. "Even if the guys don't make it to the post-season, which I'm betting they will, we still want to wait until after Rosalie has the baby so she can be my maid of honor."

"But wait." I held up my hand. "What about Lauren? Didn't you tell me that you two are close friends? Will she be upset if she isn't in the wedding?"

"No." Alice shrugged. "I mean, yes, we're friends, but we want to have a small ceremony here. Lauren won't fly in for it because she's deathly afraid of airplanes."

"She is?"

"Just one more thing stacked against her and Edward," Rose offered. "He spends half his time on the field, and the other half in the air. Why that man insists on shouldering all the blame for their screwed-up situation is beyond me. The only thing those two have in common is that boy in there."

"So… We're planning a wedding." I smiled.

"For you, it's another wedding." Alice frowned. "I know it's really soon after Angela's. If it's too much, just let me know."

"It's not too much." I shook my head. Apparently, I'd be out of work again in a few weeks. It looked like I would have tons of time on my hands to help Alice.

"Yay!" Alice clapped her hands together. "Okay, now I have to go. I'm gonna go to the game tonight since I'll be missing it tomorrow."

"What are you doing tomorrow?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. "I thought we were all going to the game together."

"I'm going to stay here with Jackie," Alice shrugged.

"He isn't going to the game?" I looked back and forth between the two women. "Why?"

"We've never been able to take him," Rose told me. "We tried once, but we had to leave before the second inning. He had a complete meltdown. He'd rather watch the game online. It's okay."

I frowned. No wonder Edward felt so strongly about his foundation. His own son wasn't able to go to any of his games!

"Well, I'll stay home with him," I offered then. "I want you to be able to enjoy the day with your family, Alice."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." I nodded.

Later that evening, the entire family filled the living room, waiting to watch the Cardinals game on television—everyone but Jackie. I went upstairs and found him in his room. He sat with his laptop open on the bed in front of him and a radio playing from his bedside table. I knocked on his door, waiting until he looked up at me before I spoke.

"Hi, Jackie," I smiled. "Did you chat with your mom, yet?"

"She sang to me," he softly replied.

"Your mom sings?"

"She likes to sing to me." Jackie nodded. "She sings. Dad plays his guitar. I have piano lessons." Edward played guitar? I had no idea. "What do _you_ do?"

Surprised by his question, I paused to consider. I had absolutely no talents to add to such a musically inclined family, so I shrugged.

"I don't know." I told him. "I guess I'm pretty good at just being quiet."

"Quiet is good," Jackie told me. "I like quiet. It's too noisy downstairs."

"Okay." I nodded. "Would you like me to be quiet right now? I can leave, if you want. I just came up to see if you need anything before the game starts."

Jackie shook his head.

"What are you listening to?" I asked, feeling encouraged.

"Mike Shannon. John Rooney. KMOX."

"You listen to the game on the radio?" I asked. "Do you like these announcers?"

"I don't like the television announcers," Jackie replied. "Except Jim Edmonds. He used to play centerfield for the St. Louis Cardinals, but now my dad does that job."

"So you watch the game on your computer and listen it on the radio?"

"Mike Shannon. John Rooney. Play-by-play broadcast." He continued to stare at his screen without offering anything else. I had a feeling our conversation was over, so I turned to go. In the back of my mind, an idea started to form. "Well, we'll all be downstairs if you need anything. I'll come back and check on you soon, if that's okay?"

Again, Jackie didn't reply. I bit my lip and turned toward Edward's room so I could grab my shoes and purse. I wasn't sure if my idea would work, but I was willing to take a chance.

"I'm going to leave for a little while," I told Esme, who was busy pouring popcorn into a large bowl in the kitchen. "Do you need me to bring anything back?

"If you have something to do, just take your time dear." Esme smiled. "We have everything we need here."

"Okay." I grinned. "But I'll hurry, anyway. I don't want to miss too much of the game!"

Within the hour, I returned from my impromptu shopping trip and hurried back upstairs to Jackie's room. Once again, I knocked on his door and waited for an indication I should enter.

"Have I missed much of the game?" I asked.

"Station break," Jackie informed me. "Second inning. No score."

"I, uh, got you a present," I told him. At that, Edward's son looked up and met my eyes. I was struck speechless for just a moment as I was captured by the green gaze that looked up at me. Jackie was the spitting image of his father. I had to swallow past the lump in my throat to continue. "I don't know if you'll like it or not, but I thought you might want to try…" I walked toward his bed then and held out the bright red canister-style headphones I'd purchased at the electronics store during my outing. "These are noise-cancellation headphones," I explained. "And they have a radio built right in. I thought that if you wanted to try to wear them, maybe you'd be able to listen to the game on KMOX this way. If everyone's talking around you, it won't bother you so much, because you'll still be able to hear your announcers. See? You just put the batteries in right here, and then you can set the radio station with these buttons on the side…"

Jackie looked back down at his computer screen, so I laid the headphones down on the foot of his bed.

"Anyway," I continued, "I'll just leave them here, and you can play around with them, see if you like it."

I quietly returned to the group downstairs and found a space in the corner of the sofa to sit beside Carlisle and Esme.

"Where have you been?" Alice asked.

"I went to Best Buy," I told her. "I needed to pick up something."

"You haven't missed anything, yet," Emmett informed me. "Dad? Wanna go out back?"

"Time for a dip." Carlisle nodded. He got up, and the two men left the room.

"You kids aren't staying up for the whole game," Rose warned her children, who were laid out on blankets spread across the floor in front of the television. "We've got a long day tomorrow. We're gonna go see your Uncle Edward play ball, and then we're going to see fireworks when it gets dark."

"It's going to be a long day for me, too." Alice yawned. "I think I'm just going to head home for the night. I'm so tired!"

"Get used to it." Esme sniffed. "One of the many joys of being pregnant."

"See you tomorrow." I smiled up at Alice as she left the room.

The third inning played out very well for our team. Edward hit a stand-up double and brought a runner in. The catcher hit a homerun to bring the score up to 3-0. During the fifth inning, though, we were in real danger of losing our lead. The opposing team had bases loaded and a heavy hitter was up to bat. Jasper, however, caught a wicked line drive and turned it into a brilliant double play that ended the threat and had everyone in the room cheering loudly. It was then that Esme's voice brought my attention to the stairs.

"Well, I'll be!"

Jackie walked silently into the room, wearing the large headphones I'd purchased over his baseball cap. Without a word, he came over to the sofa and climbed up to sit between me and his grandmother. My face actually hurt, I was smiling so hard.

"Where did he get those?" Rose asked.

"I bought them." I grinned. "I wasn't sure if it would work or not, but I remembered a student I had last year, Zachary, who didn't like going to school assemblies because they were too loud. He wore headphones like these to drown out the noise around him. Mozart made him feel calm."

"Why in the world haven't we thought of that before?" Esme wondered out loud. She smiled at me over Jackie's head. "You're a gem. You know that? A real gem." She put her arm around Jackie's shoulders and hugged him to her side. "This is wonderful!"

"He's listening to Mozart?" Emmett asked, making a face. "You coulda given him something better to listen to, like Metallica!"

"He's listening to the game." I shook my head. "KMOX Radio."

"Cool!"

"I wanna listen, too!" Grant pouted.

"Forget about it." Rose rolled her eyes. "It's time for you two to take showers and get in your pajamas."

"No fair," Sophie whined as she stood. "How come we have to go to bed and Jackie doesn't?"

"Because Jackie's gonna watch the game with Grandma for once! Now scoot!"

I was still awake, reading in bed, when Edward got home. The game had been exciting, no doubt, but I was still buzzing with elation and couldn't wait to tell him about the progress that had been made here at home. Not only had Jackie stayed downstairs to watch the entire game with us, but he'd also asked if he could go to the stadium the following day!

"Hi," Edward said quietly, closing the door behind him. "What are you still doing awake?"

"I couldn't sleep." I smiled, shaking my head. "Oh, Edward! I can't wait to tell you!"

"What is it?" Edward dropped his bag by the door and crawled up on the bed to lie on his stomach, looking up at me.

"Jackie watched the game with us tonight!"

"What do you mean he watched the game with you?"

"He came downstairs, curled up next to your mom on the couch, and watched the game with us."

"Are you serious?"

"Uh-huh!" I nodded.

"With everyone?" His eyes sparkled with interest.

"Well, not Sophie and Grant. Rose had already put the kids in bed, but he sat there with us adults!"

"How in the hell did you get _that_ to happen?" Edward smiled, shaking his head.

I told Edward about the headphones and how I'd come up with the idea. When I told him Jackie wanted to try to come to the stadium for the Fourth of July game, Edward's smile lit the entire room.

"Do you think it'll work?" he asked, his voice filled with hope.

"I don't know." I pulled up my shoulders. "But I'll drive separately, just in case. If he gets uncomfortable, we'll just leave early. At least he's willing to try."

"My God… You're fucking amazing. Do you know that?" He moved up the bed and grabbed my face between his palms, kissing me over and over until I felt breathless. When he started attacking my neck with kisses and lifting the hem of the tank top I wore to bed, I giggled.

"Your parents are right down the hall," I reminded him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm thanking you," Edward whispered against my midriff.

Thank God I hadn't been lying when I told Jackie I was good at being quiet, because Edward very enthusiastically thanked me twice.

 ***~*~Reviews are better than being quiet. Leave one!~*~***


	22. Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

I stopped and leaned against the wall, watching Edward in his gym lift his laughing child up over his chest as though bench pressing a weight bar.

"Six…. seven…" Edward grunted, counting his reps.

"Dad! It's Bella!" Jackie saw me first and announced my presence.

"—ty-one… seventy-two…" Edward jokingly changed his count. He laughed a little then and sat up, righting Jackie so the boy could run over to the treadmill.

"You boys getting in an early workout?" I smiled.

"We have a game today." Edward grinned at me. "Jackie was just telling me he has magic radio phones."

"Magic, huh?" I folded my arms over my chest. "I don't know about that."

"Well, _he_ calls them radio phones. I added the magic part," Edward said, standing to stroll over to me. "Because you're some sort of magician. You've certainly got me under your spell, Miss Swan." He lowered his head and pressed a kiss beneath my ear, making me giggle as I gently pushed him away.

"Behave yourself," I scolded. I was really scolding myself for the way my body responded to Edward's warm lips at my neck. His child was mere feet away, and my brain was still deliciously recalling the wonderful way Edward had performed _his_ magic on me just a few hours before. "Leaving soon?"

"Yep. Early game means early practice." Edward nodded. "And I have a ton of things to do before then."

"Oh." I bit my lip. "I was hoping we could have a few minutes to talk…" I'd been worried ever since Alice told me Mrs. Spreckles was going to be coming back to work earlier than I'd expected, but maybe that conversation would be best to have when Edward wasn't rushed for time. "You know what? It can wait until later."

"Are you sure?" Edward looked concerned. "I'm planning to meet you all at the park tonight for the fireworks show…"

"We'll have plenty of time to talk then." I nodded. "I just got your lucky socks out of the dryer. They're on the foot of the bed."

"Thank you." Edward smiled. He walked over to Jackie and kissed the top of his head. "I have to get ready to leave, buddy. Wanna help me pack my bag?"

"Can I put in your lucky socks?"

"They'll be _extra_ lucky if you do!"

I spent a couple hours that morning looking at apartments online. There was some comfort in knowing that if I didn't find a place right away, I'd still be able to stay in my old room at Angela's apartment for a while. Still, it felt good to be proactive. I sat with my laptop and crunched a few figures, considering what I had saved in the bank. Even if I decided to work as a substitute this year, if I could manage to sub at least three days a week, it looked like I would be able to afford a small utility apartment somewhere. I could probably talk Jake into hiring me part-time at his bookstore, just to be on the safe side. It would be the very first time since my father passed away that I'd be living completely on my own. In a very strange way, I was looking forward to it. I marked a couple of interesting-looking apartments on the listing, making note to place a few calls in the upcoming week to schedule walk-throughs.

Everyone was ready to leave for the game by 11:00. A limo arrived to take Edward's family to the stadium, each member proudly donning a CULLEN 13 jersey, though I think Carlisle was more excited about attending the Fair St. Louis afterward. Edward had surprised them all by giving them VIP passes to the concert lined up at Forest Park.

"I can't believe we get to see Sammy Hagar!" Carlisle played air guitar, making us all laugh. At least now I better understood where Edward's love of classic rock came from.

"Mas tequila!" Emmett yelled.

"Better not be _too_ much tequila," Rose quipped. "Or your ass will be sleeping on the couch tonight."

"We'll meet up with you all in the suite," I told them, buckling Jackie into the back seat of my car. I knew the limousine would drop them all off curbside, but Jackie and I would be parking in the player's lot. He looked so adorable in his Cullen jersey, with his baseball cap pulled down over his red hair. I hoped and prayed the headphones worked for him and that he'd be able to enjoy his trip to the stadium, but if for some reason he still became overwhelmed, we'd simply leave and go back home. I was extraordinarily proud of the boy who wanted to try.

"You're being very brave," I said, looking into my rearview mirror as he sat quietly in back. "Remember, if you want to leave, you can tell me, okay?" When he didn't respond, I continued. "And if you want, I can show you the KMOX broadcast booth before the game. Would you like that?" When Jackie nodded, I smiled. I was going to do whatever it took to make this day special for him.

Jackie held my hand tightly as I lead him through the crowded concourse of the stadium. I bought him a program so he could mark the game score with a pencil, and we stopped at a store where Jackie built his own stuffed Fredbird mascot. At the KMOX box, the announcers were very happy to stop and say hello to Edward Cullen's son, smiling widely when I explained to them that Jackie would be listening to their broadcast during the game. They gave him a brief tour and even posed at either side of Jackie so I could snap a picture of them with my phone.

"We still have time to get lunch before the game starts," I told Jackie, taking his hand again. "Are you hungry?"

"Can I have a hot dog?"

"Sure you can!" I grinned. "And a soda, too. Whatever you want."

We met up with the rest of the family in the private suite. I rolled my eyes to see Victoria chatting with Edward's parents. She turned her head when we walked in the door, her pink-glossed lips pulling wide in a smile that seemed so falsely friendly, it made my hand tighten around Jackie's fingers protectively.

"Bella! You're here!" Victoria exclaimed, walking over to us. I tried my hardest not to frown. Since when had this woman ever been happy to see _me_? "This must be Jackie! Oh, my God! You're soooo cute! You look just like your daddy, don't you?" She put her hands on her knees and bent down, cooing near Jackie's face like he was a puppy. He stepped slightly behind my legs, and I put my hand around his body, cupping his shoulder as I held him against my hip.

"We just thought we'd come up for lunch before the game," I told her. "Jackie wanted a hot dog."

"Let me get that for you!" Victoria straightened right away. "I was just telling Edward's family that you all can let me know if you need anything at all while you're here. I'm at your service!"

"I don't really think we'll need anyth…" Victoria had already hurried over to the food station, and I encouraged Jackie to go sit near the windows, where Rose was trying to get Grant and Sophie to stop chasing each other around the sofas. "Did you all eat already?" I asked Doc and Esme.

"Prime rib." Esme grinned. "Victoria's been real… helpful."

"I'm sure," I muttered.

" _After_ she figured out who we were." Emmett snorted. "She was all hoity-toity at first. I guess she thought we were just seat-jumpers or something, trying to score a free meal."

"We _are_ doing a pretty good job of draining that beer tap." Doc laughed, tipping his full cup in Emmett's direction.

"No red! No yellow!"

I looked up at the sound of Jackie's voice and saw him walking back toward me. He held a paper liner wrapped around a hot dog that was covered with ketchup and mustard, his face pinched in a frown. "Bella! No red! No yellow!"

I saw the problem right away. The overly helpful Vickie had brought Jackie a hot dog covered with condiments he despised. Currently, the orange mixture was all over his fingers, and he looked distraught, eyes darting left and right as he tried to figure out what to do with the mess in his hand.

"Here. Give that to me," I told him, immediately taking the offending food away. I placed the hot dog on the table beside us and dropped to my knees, trying to wipe the sticky mess from Jackie's fingers with a napkin. "No red. No yellow," I said, trying to sooth the child. He looked like he was about to start crying, and I muttered curse words in my head. If all of our hard work in getting him here was about to become derailed by Victoria being overly eager to impress, I was going to be pissed.

"What's wrong with him?" Victoria asked then, coming over to investigate the situation. "I thought he wanted a hot dog."

"He doesn't like ketchup and mustard," I tried to explain without sounding bitchy. It really was an innocent mistake, even if she _had_ been trying too hard.

"Why don't you give it a try?" Victoria told him, bending down again. This time, as she tried to speak with Jackie, she lowered herself and sat on the edge of the table. Her eyes went wide immediately, and mine did, too, because we both realized at the exact same time that Victoria had sat directly on top of the hot dog I'd placed on the table just moments before. "Shit!" she screeched, jumping up. "Oh, my God!"

Her raised voice was all it took to make Jackie start crying.

"Let's go to the bathroom," Esme said, hurrying into motion. "We'll go wash your hands, okay? Try not to touch anything. That stuff will stain your pretty white shirt."

In truth, what was left on Jackie's hands wouldn't do near the same damage as what Victoria was dealing with. Ketchup and mustard created a large blotch across her ass. She looked like she might start crying, as well. I bit my lip to keep from smiling.

"Maybe rub a little club soda on that?" I offered, feeling not at all bad for my involvement in the accident. I wiped my own fingers on my napkin, leaving to join Esme and Jackie in the bathroom.

"There you go." Esme had already controlled what looked to be a near meltdown. Jackie was sitting on the edge of the sink, and Esme was meticulously washing all traces of ketchup and mustard from his hand with a soapy washcloth. "It's all gone now."

"No red. No yellow." Jackie rocked a little where he sat. "No red. No… yellow."

"Jackie?" I asked, stepping up to him. "We'll get you a clean hot dog down at our seats, okay? No red and no yellow. I promise."

"Am I in trouble?" he asked then, looking up at me with tear-filled eyes. His lower lip trembled, and I couldn't help myself but reach out and hug him to my chest.

"Are you kidding me?" I asked, pressing my cheek to the top of his cap. "You're my favorite boy in the whole wide world!" How many times had I dreamt of making a mess of Victoria's perfect appearance? Jackie had just innocently assisted me in one of the most satisfying moments of my summer so far! "When you're ready, we'll leave this place and go down to watch your dad play some ball, okay?"

"Can I have my magic radio phones?" He sniffed.

"They're right here." I pulled the headphones from my bag and placed them over Jackie's cap to cover his ears. He turned them on and sat there for a few minutes, getting calm once again. When he was ready, he lifted his arms toward Esme, who pulled him up and held him against her so we could leave the bathroom.

Esme was a strong woman. My arms would've fallen off I'd tried to carry Jackie all the way down to our seats near the field, but she carried him as though he was as light as a feather. He seemed a little nervous when she finally put him down to sit in his seat, fidgeting with the volume on his headphones while his eyes darted up and around, taking in the massive crowd that filled the stadium around him. But as the players took the field, Jackie must've realized his headphones cancelled out the noise around him well enough, and he finally looked as though he might be able to relax. He even accepted the new hot dog—minus condiments—I had promised him.

I, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. I tried to keep my eye on Jackie, analyzing each of his movements to be sure he wasn't stressed or overstimulated in any way. I didn't want to hover, but I didn't want any part of this venture to the ballpark to be a bad experience for him. I bit my lip, worrying and waiting for the moment I might need to spring into action to get him out of there.

"Relax, mama bear." Rose laughed, leaning over to speak to me. "He's fine. Look at that smile!" And she was right. Jackie seemed excited and very content, especially when Edward jogged out to the field with his teammates.

"Look! There's my dad!" Jackie pointed at Edward's back, yelling above the noise of the announcers playing through the headphones. "Hi, Dad!"

"He can't hear you," Sophie informed him. It didn't matter. Jackie couldn't hear _her_ , either.

I wasn't even sure if Edward was aware we'd made it to the game. He knew we were going to try. He was going to be thrilled to know that Jackie actually _did_ it. Maybe the headphones had some magic in them after all.

"Jackie?" I asked. When he didn't reply, I tapped his leg so I could get his attention. When he looked up at me, I held up my phone and snapped a picture of him sitting in his seat. He grinned almost immediately and hopped up, sitting on my lap.

"Take _our_ picture!"

"Oh! Okay!" I giggled. I snuggled him close and put my chin on his shoulder, holding my arm out as far as I could so I could take a selfie. When I did, Jackie turned my phone to look at the image and nodded his approval. I couldn't wait to send that one to Edward!

Alice arrived just before the game began, making it possible for me to snap a few more pictures of Edward's entire family enjoying their day before settling back to watch the starting pitch.

I'd been to a couple of games, but nothing could compare to sitting with Edward's family as they cheered. The group around me made it so much fun! Carlisle enjoyed the free beer. Esme snacked on a dish of loaded nachos, cotton candy, and peanuts as she drank a frozen lemonade. Alice encouraged Sophie and Grant to attempt starting a wave about a dozen times before people around us noticed and picked up the momentum, eventually getting the crowd to help carry it around the stadium. Rose and Emmett were captured by the Kiss Cam on the giant scoreboard screen. But the best moment of all came when Edward added to his home run record, hitting a ball into the left-field bleachers. Fireworks sounded from centerfield, and Jackie jumped up and down, cheering. When Edward came across home plate, his eyes scanned the crowd where he knew we were all sitting. I could tell the exact moment when he noticed Jackie. Edward's feet stalled on his walk back to the dugout, and the glow of happiness on his face rivaled the brightness of the sun above before he pressed his lips together and his chin quivered just a little. Edward pulled off his helmet and placed it over his heart, wiping one hand under his eyes before he looked up again and pointed at Jackie in the stands.

"He hit that for me!" Jackie yelled. "Did you see?"

"He sure did!" I nodded, blinking away the tears that filled my eyes.

Jackie made it through his first full ballgame. I couldn't have been prouder. As a teacher, I'd always loved my work, but helping just one boy enjoy such a significant event felt every bit as rewarding. My heart was overflowing with happiness when he held my hand while we walked back to my car.

Back at the house, everyone changed clothes before going out to Forest Park for the evening festivities. I pulled on a simple sundress, aware it wasn't exactly rock-concert gear, but at least I would be cool and comfortable. I wasn't surprised in the slightest when Jackie dressed in his pajamas and asked if he could stay home. It had been a very exciting and probably overwhelming day for him. He seemed totally over it, and I didn't want to press my luck by encouraging him to enter another large, noisy crowd for a concert and fireworks show.

"I'll stay here with him," Rose offered. "I think I've had enough of this heat for the day."

"If you're playing the pregnancy card, so am I," Alice said, flopping down in a chair. "I'm worn out! We'll order pizza or something and watch the fireworks on television."

Not that I wanted to be pregnant, because I totally didn't, but I kind of wished I had a good excuse to stay home after running around Fair St. Louis with Sophie and Grant for several hours. I was exhausted. I was extremely happy when it was time for us all to find our reserved seats at the side of the concert main stage. I was a little worried, though, when it was time for Sammy Hagar to start his show and Edward still hadn't arrived. Three songs into The Red Rocker's set, however, I grinned when I saw the row of people beside me shuffle a bit so a tall man could walk through the crowd to take the space beside me. In lieu of yelling a greeting over the loud music and noise of the audience, Edward reached to cup my face and pressed a passionate kiss to my lips.

"Thank you," he mouthed, smiling at me when we finally came up for air. I knew what he was thanking me for, and I nodded. Edward stepped past me for a moment and leaned over to talk into Emmett's ear. His brother nodded at him, gave me a thumbs-up sign, and then turned his attention back to the stage. Edward smiled then and took my hand, motioning with a tilt of his head that he wanted me to move back through the crowd with him. I followed, confused.

"What's going on?" I asked when we were finally far enough from the concert stage that we could hear each other without yelling.

"I want to show you something." Edward grinned. "Don't worry. I told Emmett we're leaving."

"You don't want to stay for the concert?" I asked.

"Not even Sammy Hagar's as cool as what I have for you. Come on." Edward smiled.

"Are we going to miss the fireworks?"

"Nah. We'll see some." Edward grinned. He was being mysterious, but I didn't mind. I was intrigued and happily let him lead me out to where he'd parked his car in the reserved lot.

"Jackie's at home," I told him. "Alice and Rose stayed with him."

"I know. We texted after the game." Edward grinned. "That's why I'm late. I stopped at home to spend some time with him. God, Bella. It was so fucking good to see him up there with you all. I can't even tell you what that means to me. I'm so damned proud of him and of you for making it happen."

"I'm just glad it worked out." I smiled.

"This whole day has been perfect." He nodded, squeezing my hand. "I can only think of one thing that will make it even better." When he pulled up to the lot at Busch Stadium, I raised my eyebrow.

"Are you thinking of stadium sex?" I teased.

"Fucking you in the locker room?" Edward laughed. "Wouldn't that be cliché?"

"I was thinking more of the dugout," I joked.

"Not unless we want to give some people a show." Edward made a face. "Some corporate group rented the track for cocktails and a fireworks display."

"Oooh!" I clapped my hands together. "Is that what you meant? We're going to watch fireworks here?"

"No more questions. Just come with me."

Edward and I took an elevator up to the second level, and he led me by the hand to a suite. When he opened the door and held it so I could enter in front of him, I grinned. The lights were dimmed, and I could see a table set with a white cloth, glowing candles, glasses, and a bucket that iced a bottle of champagne. Maybe I hadn't been wrong when I guessed Edward was thinking about fooling around. Even the soft music playing through speakers in the wall seemed to lend to the romantic setting.

"Oh, Edward… This is lovely."

"Not nearly as lovely as you are." He spoke softly and pulled his fingers up the sides of my bare arms. "Will you have a drink with me?"

"Are we celebrating something?" I asked, nodding. I walked to the table and let Edward pull out my chair for me before sitting. He took the seat across from me and uncorked the bottle before pouring the bubbly liquid into each of our glasses.

"That depends on you." Edward grinned.

"How so?"

"Do you like this space?" Edward asked, switching gears. I looked around the darkened room and shrugged.

"Sure." I smiled. The suite sat above the first-base line, and I could see the party Edward had mentioned taking place on the field. We'd no doubt have a perfect view of the fireworks display. "It's very nice."

"Bella…" Edward smiled softly. "This suite belongs to LPF."

"Excuse me?"

"We've secured it for next season," Edward's smile pulled wide, transforming his face into an expression of excitement. "With an option to contract based on its success. I couldn't wait to tell you. We're going to bring in a construction crew during the off season and turn this suite into the calming room you suggested."

"Are you serious?!" I jumped up, catching on to his excitement immediately. Thrilled, I left the table to walk around the room, seeing the suite through different eyes. I could imagine the soundproof walls and sensory-soothing possibilities all around me. I felt so emotional that I could've cried. "Edward! That's amazing!"

"It's going to be a lot of work," he began, shaking his head and walking over to join me, "but I think it'll be incredible if…"

"If?" I turned to look up at him.

"If you'll agree to head up the project," Edward said then. He reached down to grab my hands and hold them between us while I let his words register in my mind. "Please… Please join the LPF team, Bella. We need you. _I_ need you."

"Are you…" I shook my head. "Are you offering me a job?"

"Mrs. Spreckles will be back soon." Edward nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was busy trying to put this all together so I could offer you something really great to be a part of."

"I…" At a loss for words, I dropped my head.

"I know it's been… strange… being in a relationship with your employer," Edward continued, "but I think we're doing all right. This suite was your brainchild. I can't fathom the idea of going forward with the project if you aren't part of it."

I was speechless. I bit my lip and looked around me, unsure if I'd be able to find my voice or even find the right words to respond.

"I know you wanted to go back into teaching." Edward rushed forward. "But don't you see? Working for the foundation will give you the chance to help just as many children and families, Bella. This suite is just the beginning. There will be hundreds of opportunities in the future for you to help educate and do good work. You're highly qualified. Your talents, ideas, optimism… You'd be a perfect addition to this group! And I know it's selfish of me, but this job would let us work closely together. You wouldn't be a slave to a working schedule that clashed with mine. You would be free to travel. In fact, you'd have to sometimes. You could work for LPF, and we could still be together—"

"Shhh…" I finally uttered, raising my fingertips to press against his mouth. "Just… give me a moment." Everything Edward said sounded too good to be true. I felt like I was caught up in a dream.

"Please tell me what you're thinking," he implored. "This is torture."

"I'm moving out," I whispered with a shaky breath,

"You're _what_?" His voice rose, and I blinked through tears, looking up at him.

"I… I knew Mrs. Spreckles was coming back. Alice told me. I've already started looking for an apartment."

"Bella!"

"Let me finish." I smiled. "I'm moving out. As soon as Mrs. Spreckles returns to work, you won't need me at the house anymore. And… I need to have my own place."

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked, reaching for my hands again. I shook my head.

"No," I promised. "Everything is very, very right. I just need to know that this job offer is separate from our relationship. If things don't work out between us—"

"Do you think I'd let you go?" Edward asked then. "This foundation means the world to me, Bella. I only want the best for it, and _you're_ the best. The job offer doesn't have anything to do with the fact I'm in love with you. I'm asking because you're perfect for the job."

"What did you say?" My heart was hammering in my chest so loudly that I was sure he'd be able to hear it.

"You're the best for the job." Edward shook his head. "I've already talked to the rest of the team, and they agree."

"Not that part." I sniffed and bit my lip. "You're… in love with me?"

"You didn't know?" Edward asked then, stepping close. He lifted his hand and wiped the tears that openly coursed from my eyes.

"Are you just saying that so I'll take the job?" I asked, raising my arms to put over his shoulders.

"No." He shook his head, smiling. "But you're going to say yes."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because you're in love with me, too," he said then, suddenly sounding confident.

"Reading my tells again?" I giggled through tears.

"I want to hear you say it."

"I love you," I whispered. "And yes, I'd be honored to work for your foundation."

Then, Edward kissed me as the fireworks lit the night outside the suite we planned to build together.

 ***~*~Reviews are better than champagne. Leave one!~*~***


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

If I thought the arrival of Edward's family was hectic, it was nothing compared to preparing for their departure.

"Where's my hat?"

"I can't find my cell phone!"

"Sophie told me to shut up!"

"Shut up! I did _not_!"

Extra bags were needed for all of the souvenirs purchased during the trip. Carlisle promised he would have my truck finished soon. Emmett laughingly made a bet with Rose that I was next in line to get knocked up, which made me blush furiously. Esme had me on the verge of tears when she hugged me tightly and thanked me for taking such good care of Edward. Jackie kept his head bowed over his flight itinerary, focusing on the numbers listed across the printed sheet he held. Edward got his attention by pulling the headphones he wore away from one ear.

"You gonna tell your old man goodbye?"

"One hundred forty-one." Jackie nodded.

"Is that a flight number?" I asked.

"Days until Thanksgiving," Jackie told me. "One hundred forty-one."

"I'll see you sooner than that," Edward promised, picking his son up to hug him tightly. "I promise."

"Can Bella come?" Jackie asked, looking up at me when Edward lowered him to the ground. "In one hundred forty-one? Can Bella come, too?"

"We can talk about it." Edward nodded.

"I'd like that." I grinned, feeling a little misty-eyed that Edward's son though to invite me. "Thank you for going to the ballgame with me, Jackie. Maybe we could do it again sometime."

He pulled his headphones back over his ears and turned his attention back to his flight plans. I wiped my thumb under my eye and smiled up at Edward.

They all piled into the long car, and then they were gone.

Edward's mood was somber. I knew he was already missing Jackie, and I could only just now begin to imagine how hard it must be for him to be away from his son. After only a few days with the enigmatic little boy, I missed him, too. As a matter of fact, I missed the noise and infectious energy of Edward's loving family. When Edward left for the ballpark, the house was almost too quiet for me to stand it. Feeling out of sorts, I called Angela for a much needed outing.

"I'm so glad you called!" Angela hugged me tightly. "I know we aren't technically moving for another two months, but I've been going through things and packing stuff in boxes so I won't have to worry about it right before the wedding. I'm beat and need a break!"

"When my schedule clears up, I'll help you," I promised. "Anything you need."

"Yeah, but I kind of want to tackle most of this now, not later." Angela wrinkled her nose. "That way, it'll be all done and taken care of. I really can't put it off for another month. I'll feel too rushed."

"As it turns out," I began, "I'll be free a lot sooner than I'd initially thought."

"Did you get fired?" Angela's eyebrows rose as she let her chin drop. "What the hell, Bells?"

"No." I shook my head and smiled. "I didn't get _fired_." I giggled a little and then continued. "Mrs. Spreckles is coming back sooner than we thought, so I won't be needed there anymore."

"Are you serious?" Angela asked, brow furrowed. "And how is it that you aren't completely freaking out right now? It wasn't all that long ago that you were in a total spiral over not having a job lined up for the fall."

"I know." I shrugged. "But I already have another offer."

"For real?" Angela's expression brightened. "Well, that's great, Bella! How in the hell have you had time to be searching for work?"

"I haven't." I smiled. "This one sort of came to _me_."

"Are we really going to keep playing a guessing game here, or are you just going to tell me about it?"

"Edward asked me to work for his foundation." I smiled. When Angela's smile faltered, I sat on the edge of the sofa and bit my lip. "Okay. Let's hear it."

"Hear what?" My friend shrugged and turned back to taping a box beside her. "I didn't say anything."

"Yet," I replied. "But you want to."

"It's just…" She sighed and sat down beside me. "Do you really want to continue working for the man you're dating?"

"I think this job is what's going to allow us to _keep_ seeing each other," I explained.

"What do you mean?"

"I was worried," I told her, twisting my hair over my shoulder. "Like, how would we be able to maintain a relationship at all if I had a normal nine-to-five sort of job? He travels constantly. He doesn't even stick around here all the time during the off-season. How was that going to work?"

"If you were teaching, you'd have your summers off," Angela suggested. "You could go see him when he plays."

"For what?" I asked. "Two and a half months out of the year? Come on, Ang. Do you think you and Ben would be okay with that sort of distance and time apart? Would you be where you are now if you'd started your relationship with those kinds of odds stacked against you?"

"You're thinking long-term with this guy!" Angela grinned. "You're totally in love with him!"

"I am." I nodded and bit my lip. "Completely, totally… Yeah."

"Does Edward feel the same way?"

"Yes." I smiled.

"And you're sure?"

"He told me," I said, my face warming. "When he offered me this job, he told me he loves me."

"Oh, Bells!" Angela wrapped her arms around me to give me a hug. "I'm happy for you. I really am. I just worry."

"I know. Me, too." I nodded, pulling back. "But it's not like I'm giving up anything here by taking a chance. His foundation's going to be amazing. Even if we weren't dating, it would be a dream job for me. It really would."

"Does it pay well?"

"I don't know." I giggled a little then. "I doubt it."

"You didn't talk about that?"

"Honestly, Ang? It doesn't matter," I told her. "I believe in the work he wants to do, and I want to be a part of it. I'll take a part-time job to make ends meet, if I have to. His vision for the foundation is completely in line with my own career goals. It's just starting now, and Edward isn't throwing buckets of money around his team. Everyone is treating it like a labor of love. I _want_ to do this."

"Well, let me know if I can help in any way."

"You can help me find an apartment." I snorted. "I'm going to be homeless soon."

"You're sure— _absolutely_ sure—you're covered?" Angela asked then. "I mean, what if you and Edward don't work out? I don't want to jinx you or sound like a downer, but I just…"

"I've thought about that." I frowned. "Honestly? Victoria convinced me."

"The nasty redhead?" Angela asked.

"Yeah." I made a face. "Edward keeps business separate. They used to date, and he has a very professional working relationship with her now. I don't think I'd end up out of a job if we decided that this isn't working between us. I trust him."

"It's not like he could fire her, though," Angela argued. "She technically works for him through an extension of the Cardinals organization."

"I don't think he would, anyway." I shook my head. "Not as long as she was doing her job well. He's very business-minded. _She's_ the one who seems to have the most difficulty with it."

"Do you think it would be any easier for _you_?" Angela asked. "To work closely with him, even if you two weren't a couple anymore?"

"The work would make it worth it." I nodded. "It's _so_ important, Angela. I believe in the foundation, and I believe in him."

"Well, shit." Angela sighed, wiping her hands on the front of her knees. "I think this news is cause for a celebration, or at least a glass of wine or something. Wanna go out for dinner and a drink?"

"Can we detour and do a little shopping first?" I asked, playfully. "I need to find something formal and fabulous to wear to the fundraiser."

"Who are you, and what have you done to my best friend?" Angela giggled.

Shopping with Angela was a totally different experience than when I'd gone out alone to find a dress to wear for my first date with Edward. Angela had a wonderful time shopping for something that wasn't wedding related for once. She took me to at least three different stores before we agreed on a dress that was perfect for the evening. This time, I was able to buy proper shoes, a small bag, _and_ new lingerie to wear beneath it all. I even splurged on a sexy little silk chemise in navy blue I knew Edward would love. Of course, that purchase led to a whole different line of inquisition from my friend. My face flamed red while I dodged her questions.

"Come on, Bells! You _know_ I'd share details with you!"

"And _you_ know I'd rather not hear about all the kinky things you and Ben do!"

"So you're saying Edward's _kinky…"_

"I didn't say anything of the sort!" I giggled. "I'm not talking about it."

"You're killing me here."

"Sorry, not sorry." I shrugged, smiling at my friend.

"At least tell me if—"

"No."

"A couple of glasses of wine, and you'll be whistling a different tune," Angela vowed. I made sure I only had one glass of wine with dinner, just to be on the safe side.

As soon as I got home, I turned on the television to check the score of the ballgame. It wasn't good. Top of the sixth inning, and the Cardinals were down by four runs. Edward wasn't playing, but I saw plenty of camera shots of him leaning with his arms on the rails of the dugout, watching what looked like a massacre on the field with a dissatisfied frown on his face. The television commentators cued me in on what I'd missed during dinner.

"While the Cardinals manager gave his starting catcher and his centerfielder a night off to help them rest up for the Midsummer Classic, it looks like the Lion would have liked nothing better than to be on the field tonight to try to pull his team out of the jam it got stuck in during the fifth inning."

"It's hard to come back after a blast like that one," one of the other announcers said as they replayed a slow-motion clip of a hard-hit ball sailing into the second tier of seats just off the right-field foul line.

"Number Thirteen had to watch Pope narrow the homerun race with that one!" Cue the camera shot of Edward watching the ball sail into the crowd, grimacing and pulling his cap from his head while spitting a very obvious curse word. The commentators laughed and remarked it was a good thing the mics weren't picking up the sounds of the dugout. I cringed and turned off the television.

It had been a very long few days. I knew Edward wouldn't be in a good mood when he got home. Hell, he hadn't been in a particularly good mood when he'd left for the ballpark. I decided the best way I could help him right now would be to make things perfect for when he got home. I hurried to put away the purchases I'd made and then drew a bath. In my mind, I made a plan. I would take a nice hot bubble bath. Afterward, I'd go downstairs and open a bottle of wine to let it breathe and then make a nice cheese plate. Maybe I'd light some candles and play some quiet music. I laid my new chemise on the foot of the bed, planning to wear it after my soak in the tub. If all of that didn't help to lift Edward's spirits, I'd be out of luck. It was the best I could come up with on short notice. It was going to have to be enough.

While Edward's shower was a marvel of engineering, his bathtub was a glorious throwback to luxury. I felt like I almost needed a step stool to get into the oversized clawfoot tub that stood alone in the back of the room. It was enormous! But then I was able to stretch my entire body out underneath the scented suds, with bubbles tickling my chin, and I sighed and relaxed in the hot water. It felt amazing. I felt my own stress dissipate and covered my eyes with a wet, folded cloth while I happily hummed to myself. I giggled a little when I realized the tune I'd been singing.

"Take me out to the ballgame... "

When had I become such a fangirl? Oh, right. It was probably when I fell in love with a ballplayer. I smiled and raised my hands above the water, wiggling my fingers like I was a conductor while I continued. "Take me out to the crowd. Buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks…"

"I don't care if I ever get back."

The unexpected sound of a deep male voice joining in made me squeal with alarm, sloshing water as I hurried to pull the washcloth away from my face. I sat up in fright, heart pounding in my throat even as I recognized Edward leaning in the doorway, watching me with an amused looking smile on his face.

"Oh, my God!" I nearly screamed, putting my hand over my chest. "You scared me to death!"

"I'm sorry. You looked so cute that I couldn't resist." He grinned.

"What are you doing home so early?" Had I lost track of time while I'd been soaking in the hot water?

"I didn't play tonight." Edward pulled up one shoulder. "I left as soon as the game was over. You didn't watch?"

"I saw part of it." I wrinkled my nose. "I was out with Angela."

"You didn't miss much." Edward frowned. "The team took a loss."

"Apparently I missed the announcement. Congratulations, All-Star." I smiled. "You got picked for the team!"

"Which means I'll have to fly to Florida."

"Who else is going?"

"Yadi and I are both starters, and Jasper got picked as a reserve," he explained, eyeing me. "Got room in there for one more?"

"I have room in here for _five_ more." I laughed, kicking my legs a little in front of me. "But I'm a little bummed. I had a whole thing planned for when you got home."

"Like?" Edward asked, pulling his shirt over his head.

"I was going to open some wine and put on some music," I told him, shamelessly watching Edward undress. "It was a whole romantic thing in my mind."

"That does sound nice." Edward smiled. "But _this_ is better."

"You really think so?" I asked, sliding back in the tub so Edward could lower himself into the water in front of me. He leaned back against my chest and sighed when I curled my legs around his sides.

"Baby, I _know_ so," he murmured. His fingers made lazy passes up and down my calves while I let my soapy hands rub his shoulders. Edward groaned and dropped his head forward. "That feels amazing."

"I thought you'd be in a bad mood when you got home."

"Yeah?"

"You don't like to lose," I reminded him, wrapping my arms around Edward's shoulders so I could lean forward and kiss him beneath the ear.

"There isn't much I could've done from the bench."

"Ahh. I see." I nodded.

"Besides," Edward said, pulling my arms up so he could kiss my fingers. "This right here? Feels like a win to me."

"You mean that?"

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't," he promised. "I feel like the luckiest bastard in the world right now."

"Then I'd say my work is done." I sighed and leaned back. Edward flipped over, catching me off guard as he moved up onto his knees and formed a cage above me.

"Oh, I'd be happy to give you some more work to do." Edward playfully growled and moved forward to kiss my neck. I giggled and splashed when he snaked one hand around me and slid my body up so I was straddling his lap.

"Oh!" I could feel him hard beneath me, and I tightened my legs around his hips. Edward groaned and closed his eyes, pulling me against his chest and lowering his face to press his mouth over mine. My body responded immediately, and I twisted my fingers into the back of his hair as I kissed him back with equal passion. Beneath the water, I moved my hips, loving the way he shuddered beneath me.

"Fuck…" Edward panted against my mouth. "Do you know that I've fantasized about kissing you like this? Since that first night in my hot tub? You were wearing that blue swimsuit, and I knew I shouldn't think of you like that, but _fuck_ , if I didn't want to have you just like this."

"Like this?" I whispered against his ear, purposely grinding against him once more.

"Time to get out of the tub," Edward growled. I slid away, watching Edward move with lightning speed as he tied a towel around his waist. He made no efforts to hide his arousal from me, and I loved knowing I—plain ol' Bella—was able to create this response in him. I never felt as secure and as confident in my life as I did when I was with Edward. He wanted me. He _loved_ me. I didn't argue when he lifted me from the hot water. I wasn't sure I'd be able to get out of the deep tub as gracefully as he had. He deposited me on my feet beside the bed and then sat on the edge of the mattress in front of me as he began pulling another soft towel across my skin to dry my body. I felt adored and cherished by his careful consideration. I'd had every intention of spoiling him this evening, and yet, I was the one that felt tended to.

With that in mind, I took the towel from his hands and tied it around my body before slowly dropping to my knees in front of him.

"Bella…"

I smiled up at Edward as I reached to loosen the towel he had tucked around his hips, and when it fell away, I leaned forward and wrapped my hand around the base of his cock. Edward inhaled sharply as I touched my tongue to the tip, tentatively tasting the light sheen of liquid that was present there.

"Oh… Holy hell," he moaned. I just smiled and lowered my head so I could take him into my mouth. Edward was built big and strong, and I needed my hand to aid me in my efforts. I didn't have much experience doing this, only having tried it once or twice before. And I admit that I'd never particularly enjoyed those times, but with Edward, it was different. I was encouraged by the sounds he made and the way his body moved beneath me. He whispered profanities as well as endearments and gently let my hair down from the way I'd twisted it up for my bath so he could push his fingers through it while I caressed his shaft with my lips and tongue.

He didn't thrust up against me, letting me take the lead instead. In fact, the only time I felt him tug my hair was when I knew he was getting close. He was trying to warn me, giving me an option to pull away, but I stayed where I was. I shook my head a little and looked up at him, letting him know it was all right. Another first for me, but that was what I wanted. I took a deep breath through my nose and tightened my lips around him, slowly pumping from below while my tongue moved over and around, encouraging him to let go. When he did, I gagged a little, if I'm being honest. Pulling my mouth away, I turned my face and covered my lips with the back of my hand, swallowing the salty fluid at the back of my tongue with a small shudder of my shoulders. Edward had begun stroking my hair and gave me a moment to compose myself. When I felt like my gag reflex was under control, I slowly turned back to give him a shy smile.

The look on his face was beautiful; peaceful, relaxed, happy. He smiled and fell backwards onto the bed with his arms flung wide, making me giggle.

"I fucking love you." Edward sighed.

"I love you too," I replied, pushing my hands against his knees to help me stand.

"Come to Florida with me for the All-Star game?"

"I'd love to."

 **~*~*Reviews are better than making the All-Star team. Leave one!*~*~**


	24. Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

I learned a couple of things during my first trip away to a game with Edward. First, it wasn't as relaxed as I would've imagined. Everything moved on a tight schedule. Unlike being in St. Louis, there was press to deal with when we landed in Florida. The All-Star game was a pretty big deal, and the local paparazzi were ready for players flying in from all over the U.S.

Victoria had obviously done her job, creating a buzz about Edward's charity fundraiser. I heard more than a few questions shouted out about the event. I blushed when one or two photographers brazenly yelled questions directed to me, trying to get me to look up for their cameras. Edward kept his hand wrapped firmly around mine while we walked through the airport, not shying away from the attention, though he didn't stop to speak with anyone. Victoria had set times aside for interviews that would come later.

I also learned that star players were treated like kings by the Cardinals organization. With first-class seats on flights, luxurious cars, and five-star hotel rooms, nothing was too good for these men.

"That's not to say _all_ off the players aren't important." Edward shook his head. "It's just… When I first got called up to the show, two or three of us would have to share a rathole little hotel room. I've paid my dues to get here."

"This game is made up of the best of the best." I smiled. "It's okay. I get it."

" _You're_ the best of the best." Edward smiled and then kissed me. "I'm sorry about all the press at the airport. Are you okay?"

"I'm _proud_ to be with you, Edward." I assured him with a smile. "Thank you for inviting me."

We had rushed, sloppy hotel-room sex before Edward had to leave for the field. By far, that was the best part of the morning.

Since the guys had to leave early for the game, I let Alice talk me into making appointments at the hotel spa to get a much needed manicure and pedicure. I might have seen the pampering as unnecessary, if not for the fundraiser we were attending the following evening. We would literally be arriving back in St. Louis just a few hours before the dinner was set to begin. There wouldn't be a lot of time for primping before then.

"This was a good idea." I smiled over at my friend who lounged in the salon seat beside mine.

"I'm thankful we _can_ do this." Alice grinned. "I wasn't even sure I'd be up for the trip. I've had so much morning sickness."

"But you're feeling better now?"

"I haven't thrown up in a couple of days." Alice shrugged. "I feel fine. Better than fine, really. I'm kinda starving. Is it too early to have cravings? I kinda want something spicy!"

"I don't know." I giggled.

Alice made the afternoon fun. In fact, while I was excited Edward had been chosen for the All-Star team, I can't say I would've had nearly such a good time if Alice hadn't been along to share the day with me. There was a lot of downtime, and in my head, I started trying to figure out how I'd manage trips like this in the future. There would only be so many hours I could fill by sitting in hotel spas or shopping. I could understand why it was so important for Alice to have her own business to focus on. Now, I suppose, she'd have a baby to keep her occupied, as well.

I wondered just how involved my role would be with for the foundation. Edward and I would definitely need to sit down and discuss it soon. Depending on my schedule, I was thinking I might even like to look into online courses for the fall to work on getting my Master's degree. It was going to be imperative for me to have something to do to keep me busy.

Marlin's Park was… interesting. The views on TV didn't provide the same experience as walking through the neomodern stadium. While it was very appropriate for the Florida setting, the bright blues, greens, and orange colors used in the architecture and design throughout made me appreciative of the retro-classic red brick I'd become accustomed to at home in St. Louis. At least Alice and I didn't stick out like sore thumbs wearing our Cardinals jerseys. Fans wore gear from every team represented in this Mid-Summer Classic.

We had seats in a private box, and it was a little unnerving looking around to see famous faces nearby. Jon Hamm and Nelly were both sitting just a few rows from me. The cameras kept panning our seats, making Alice roll her eyes.

"I wish they'd sit somewhere else," Alice complained, pointing at the celebrities. "Every time the cameraman tries to get a shot of them, I just know I'm in the background shoveling nachos into my mouth!"

"That's because you ate two plates of 'em," I teased.

"One for me, one for the baby," she huffed. "And I want some ice cream. I'm eating for two now!"

I didn't want to be mean by pointing out that the second person in that scenario was still roughly the size of a golf ball. It was going to be fun being around Alice while she was pregnant, and if the way she was eating now was any indication, she'd be bigger than Rose in no time. There would be plenty of time for good-natured teasing later.

Thank God I didn't get much more than a glimpse of Victoria during the game. She was legitimately busy, talking to people from the press and sharing details about the fundraiser.

"How's that all going, by the way?" I asked Alice. "Is everything ready?"

"It's gonna be great." Alice smiled. "Everything's in order. We even have cute little paddles that look like baseballs for the auction." She grinned. "Jasper already told me to spend whatever it takes to win him."

I frowned over my shoulder, looking to where Victoria stood with her back to me. I didn't trust her when it came to that auction. In fact, I didn't trust her when it came to anything concerning Edward. I hadn't seen or spoken to the woman since the hotdog incident over the Fourth of July. I wondered if Edward had told her that I was going to be working for the foundation soon. I can't imagine she would've been very happy to hear that news.

Soon, Victoria became the furthest thing from my mind. The game, minus the typical animosity and competitiveness of teams vying for playoff positions in the regular season, had a different type of feel. The very best players of each league got a chance to work side by side instead of against some of their biggest rivals. Mutual respect and admiration showed in the way they played to each other's strengths on the field and in the batter's box.

I realized it didn't matter that I didn't recognize most of the players out there. My eyes were glued to Edward. I couldn't get enough of watching that man play ball. He was certainly born to be there. He was one with the field, the wind, and the roar of the crowd. Not to negate how much effort I knew it took, but it was clear that Edward was simply created to play this sport. There was no hesitation in his movements, no moment of second-guessing or lack of confidence. He was like a machine today.

And _everyone_ noticed.

I wiped happy tears from my cheeks and jumped up and down with Alice as Edward proudly held the glass bat over his head while the crowd cheered for the All-Star MVP award winner. The National League would have home-field advantage in the World Series this year, and Edward would be adding an illustrious title to what very likely would end up becoming a legacy career.

"You ready?" Alice asked at the end of the on-field ceremony. "The guys can meet us back at the hotel. They're gonna have tons of press to do before they can leave tonight. I'm just too tired to stay and wait."

"I doubt I'll be able to sleep for a week." I smiled, still amped from the game.

"Good. Then _you_ can be the one to call Mom back." Alice laughed. "She's been blowing up my phone since the bottom of the ninth. I know they're watching on TV."

"I'll bet Edward will call them when he gets back to the clubhouse." I shrugged. "In fact…"

I grabbed my phone, smiling at my lock screen photo. I had to swipe Edward's abs to unlock my phone, and then I texted him.

 _Congrats. How does it feel?_

 _The bat? Cold and hard._

 _LOL._ _The win. But now that you mention it, is the bat really made of glass?_

 _Sure is_.

 _Don't let me near it._ _You know I'm a klutz._

 _Baby, you can hold my bat whenever you like._

I giggled, and Alice looked over at my phone to see what had made me so amused. Almost right away, she made a gagging noise.

"Gross, you guys. Seriously."

 _I'm so proud of you. See you at the hotel._

I shoved my phone back in my pocket.

Because of how congested the streets were around the sporting event, it took us almost an hour to get back to our hotel. As Alice and I waited for the hotel elevator to clear so we could go to our rooms, I was taken back when I recognized a familiar person stepping out of the lift in front of me.

"Riley?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Now I'm _sure_ you're following me."

"Tracking your man." Riley chuckled. "I had a feeling tonight would give me some good stuff for the article. I'm glad I followed my gut."

"Did you get to talk to him?" I asked, flipping my ponytail over my shoulder.

"For about ten minutes before the game." Riley nodded. "What are you doing now? Wanna join me for a drink in the bar?"

"Oh. Um…" I pressed my lips together, looking at Alice. She shrugged.

"I can't. I'm exhausted. _You_ were the one who said you probably won't be able to sleep," Alice reminded me. "Maybe a drink or two will help you out with that."

"Okay." I pulled up my shoulder, looking back at Riley. "I want to change clothes first, though. Can I just meet you in the lounge in a few minutes?"

"Sounds good." He smiled. "I'll get us a table and see you there."

As soon as I got to my room, I sent Edward a text so he wouldn't worry about me.

 _Ran into Riley Biers here at the hotel. Going to have a drink in the lounge._

I nodded at my screen before hitting send. It wasn't like I was asking permission, exactly. It was a courtesy text so Edward wouldn't get the wrong idea about the situation. It took about twenty minutes before Edward replied.

 _Sounds good. Almost done here. See you soon._

By the time I received his text, I'd already changed into a comfy pair of jeans and a t-shirt, scrubbed my face, and pulled my hair back. I hoped there were no photographers lingering around, trying to get pictures of the players when they returned. I was officially in for the night and not dressed to impress.

"Ahh. There's Hella Bella!" Riley called out when he saw me. I grinned and shook my head, walking over to the small table he'd reserved.

"Sorry I took a while," I told him. "I wanted to wash off the stadium grime."

"It was a hot one today." Riley smiled. "It's okay. I like you better like this. Reminds me of that kid I went to school with." He reached out to playfully tug the end of my ponytail, and I rolled my eyes. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"A beer?" I suggested.

"It's so nice to spend time with a woman who keeps things simple." Riley shook his head.

"I guess the girls in L.A are a different breed, huh?" I asked, leaning back in my seat.

"Ahh. You can find that sort just about anywhere now days. You're rare, Bella."

"Um, thank you?" I sipped the beer the waitress brought me and nervously looked around the room. Riley's comments could almost be taken as flirtatious, and I didn't want to give him or anyone else the wrong impression.

"Take Victoria for instance…"

"No, _you_ take her." I snorted. "Seriously. Take her."

"I have." He grinned against the edge of his glass.

" _Shut up!"_ I put my drink down, staring over at Riley with wide eyes. "For real?"

"Who did you think I was here with?"

"Yourself?" I answered, still shocked. "Are you two an item?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "That girl isn't looking for Mr. Right. I'm fine with being Mr. Right Now."

"You're messing with me."

"No, I'm not." He smiled. "We sort of started seeing each other after Edward's photoshoot. We've hung out a couple of times. Don't make a big deal of it."

"I didn't know." I shrugged. "That's cool, I guess…"

"She asked me to come to the fundraiser with her tomorrow as her date."

"It should be fun." I smiled. It was a relief to learn Riley hadn't been flirting with me, but I was even more relieved to know Victoria finally had her eye on someone else. That meant I could relax during the fundraiser. "Here. Let me buy another round!" This was cause for celebration.

Edward arrived before I finished my second beer. He seemed tired but happy as he made his way over to our table. I reached out and ran my hand down his tie, smiling up at him.

"Hello there, Mr. MVP."

"Don't start with that." He chuckled, shaking his head while looking a little shy. He kissed me sweetly on the cheek before turning his attention to the man who sat across from me. "Hi, Riley. How are ya?"

"Not bad." Riley grinned, reaching to shake Edward's hand across the table. "Hope you don't mind me borrowing your girl for a while."

"Thanks for keeping her company." Edward smiled. "I wasn't sure how long we'd be."

"We?" I asked, just a split second before my question was answered for me. Victoria came into the room behind Edward and wasted no time rushing to the table and nearly throwing herself at Riley. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a very exaggerated, very passionate-looking kiss. My jaw dropped a little, and I looked over at Edward to see what he thought of the display. He just grinned at me and reached for my glass to take a sip of beer.

"Can you get me a cosmopolitan?" Victoria cooed at Riley when she finally let him up for air. "With orange Stoli and a twist? Oh, hello, Isabella."

"Hi…" I awkwardly returned while I watched Riley use a cocktail napkin to wipe red lip gloss from his mouth and chin.

"Edward, can I order you something, too?" Riley asked.

"No." Edward shook his head. "Thanks, though. I think we're going to call it a night. Tomorrow's gonna be another long day."

I was very happy to accept his hand and let him help me from my seat.

"Goodnight," I offered the couple before allowing Edward to lead me away. "What the hell was that?" I asked, when we stepped out of the lounge.

"I guess they've been seeing each other." Edward shrugged. "Vickie told me about it. I think she was worried there might be a perceived conflict of interest since Riley is writing that article. I don't have any problems with it. I'm actually happy for her."

"You give that much thought to her love life?" I asked, stepping off the elevator to head to our room.

"Not really." Edward chuckled. "But… I don't know."

"You don't know what?"

"I'm trying to say this without sounding conceited."

"Just say it," I told him. Edward used the keycard to let us into our room, and I immediately kicked off my sandals and moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

"It's just that… I don't think Victoria let go of whatever she and I had as easily as I did."

"No!" I sarcastically gasped and put my hand to my chest.

"Stop." He rolled his eyes. "I'm being serious."

"Has the idea really just occurred to you?" I asked.

"I think that some of her attitude recently toward you has been motivated by jealousy."

"You don't say?"

"Bella…" Edward pulled off his jacket and tie with a playful growl and then came over to push me back on the bed. He crawled up so his body formed a cage over me, and I smiled up at him. "I'm not saying she still wanted me. I think she just didn't like the idea of someone else having me."

"No. She still wanted you." I looked up at him. "Why do you think I've had such a tough time knowing how closely you two work together?"

"It's not like I could've fired her just because I'd decided we shouldn't date." Edward frowned. "As for her acting bitchy to you, I promise we've had plenty of conversations about that. She knows how important you are to me, and she's been better recently."

"Hmm…" I pressed my lips together. "And what did she say when you told her I'd be working for the foundation?"

"She, uh…" Edward's flushed cheeks gave me the answer I needed. I frowned and pushed against his chest, wriggling out from underneath him.

"You didn't tell her?"

"I was waiting for the position to be firm," Edward explained.

"It wasn't firm?" I asked, my voice rising. I rolled off the bed and stood in front of Edward, folding my arms over my chest. "What wasn't firm? You asked me to work for you, and I said yes."

"The actual title and position weren't firm, yet," Edward said, cajoling me. He moved his body to sit on the foot of the bed and reached for my hands. "I've had Tom and Dave working on it. The position had to be created, and I needed to look into the budget for your salary and working expenses. They've got it all figured out now. I was hoping to make a grand announcement tomorrow night by introducing you as part of LPF."

"Oh," I replied, biting my lip.

"Victoria isn't going to be working for the foundation next year, Bella." Edward squeezed my fingers.

"She's not?"

"No, she's not." He shook his head. "She works for me now through the Cardinals organization. She'll still be in place, making sure that any of our advertising and events are aligned with the team's mission and policies, but she won't be on the LPF advisory board. She doesn't really get what I'm trying to do, and frankly, it's not her area of expertise."

"Your foundation will still need marketing."

"I'm looking into that." Edward nodded. "But I think I'd like to hire someone with more experience working for non-profits."

"Does Victoria know all of this?"

"Not exactly." Edward frowned. "But she knew from the beginning that the foundation is in its starting phase. It's going to undergo a lot of transition and growth before we get it to where we need it to be. I'm not going to drop a bomb on her, Bella. We'll have a meeting tomorrow, before the fundraiser."

"And where do I fit in with it, Edward? Firmly?"

"You, my love," Edward said, smiling up at me, "will be our Head Educational Advisor."

"Really?"

"Really, really." Edward pulled my fingers up to kiss the back of my knuckles. "You already know we're starting small, but eventually, I hope you'll have a whole team of teachers and therapists that'll help you put together clinics and camps and activities that will promote inclusion. The future is full of endless possibility."

I was speechless. In his bright green eyes, I could almost swear the endless possibilities he spoke of didn't just refer to the foundation… but to us as well. I kind of wanted to jump on him, but I needed to keep my head in the game.

"How much will I be working? In the beginning?" I asked.

"Are you starting to second-guess things?" Edward asked, frowning. "I don't want you to feel pressured in any way, Bella."

"I'm sure I want to do it." I shook off his suggestion immediately. "We didn't really discuss any of the specifics, and I'd like to know what I'm signing up for."

"Fine, but will you sit down?" he asked, patting the bed beside him. "You're making me nervous."

"Not there." I frowned. "I really don't want to discuss any business negotiations while we're in bed. That seems kind of gross."

"We wouldn't be _in_ bed. We'd be _on_ a bed. But okay. Let's sit over there." Edward got up, and we both walked to sit across from each other at a small table. "Is this better?"

"At least now it feels more professional." I shrugged. "And you can't be accused of coercing me."

"I wouldn't!"

"No, but you're entirely too distracting. Seeing you on the bed makes me think of bedroom things, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't say no to anything you suggested."

"Bella…" He ran his hands over his face and into his hair. "Keep saying things like that and I'm going to haul you right back over there."

"I want to talk about my position."

"We can try any position you like." He grinned.

"Edward, focus!" I giggled as I scolded him. "We're working now."

"Working. Right." He nodded. "Can I hold your hand?"

"No."

"Fine." He rolled his eyes. "I already told you the title we've come up with. Are you agreeable to that?"

"I like it." I smiled.

"It'll be a full-time position," he continued. "But the great thing is that you'll be able to do most of the work from pretty much anywhere."

"But what does that mean?" I asked, twisting my fingers in my lap.

"Well, you know the advisory board only meets once a month or so. Sometimes it'll be more, if we have something really big we're working on. Our other meetings are all done via Skype or on the phone, through email and texting. You get the idea."

"Sure." I nodded.

"You already know that you'll be hands-on during the design and building process of the sensory suite down at the ballpark."

"During the off-season…" I frowned. "When you'll be in Washington."

"Who said that?" Edward asked, returning my expression with a frown of his own. "I'd like to be as involved as possible in the process. I think the entire concept is fascinating."

"But… You said you live in Washington during the off-season," I told him. "You have a house there!"

"I did." He nodded. "My house is going on the market, Bella. I thought you understood that was why I've been getting my place in St. Louis together. I live in Missouri now."

"But Jackie…"

"I plan to see him as much as possible. Now that he's getting older, I want him to spend more time with me. We'll visit him for Thanksgiving, and he'll be here for Christmas break. Easter is iffy, because I'll have spring training, but maybe he can extend his time with me next summer. Lauren and I are still working all of that out."

"Oh!" I smiled and looked down, twisting my ponytail over my shoulder.

"Your salary won't be as much as you're making now," Edward told me then. "I hope that's okay. Dave looked into it, and while it's fine for my own payroll, given the short-term nature of the position you hold now, the foundation can't maintain that indefinitely."

"No, of course not." I shook my head.

"But you will be paid in line with local teacher's salaries. I figured that's what I'd be competing with if you were searching for a job elsewhere."

"Okay." I nodded.

"And you'd keep the company car."

"Edward!"

"It's not like I'm leasing it, Bella. I bought the damn thing. I can donate it to the foundation and write it off. You'll be doing a lot of driving, and you'll need it. You'll be reimbursed for travel expenses, too."

"Yeah?"

" _If_ it's for the foundation." Edward nodded. "Any other travel plans will be paid for by me."

"What?"

"I won't hear an argument about this, Bella." Edward shook his head and placed his hands over mine on the table. "If you decide to come spend time with me for Spring Training or we take a trip together, which I'm still hoping we can do." He grinned. "If the traveling is not related to the foundation, I will personally cover those expenses. I won't have people think that I'm spoiling my girlfriend on the foundation's dime."

"But—"

"No buts." He squeezed my fingers. "Bella, let's be honest here. You'll be living on a teacher's salary. You _know_ the kind of money I make. Shit, if you only knew how many frequent flyer miles I have saved up! I could drag you around the globe with me, if you wanted, and not notice a dent in my bank account. I don't want concerns about expenses to ever be a reason we can't spend time together. All of the money in the world doesn't matter if you can't spend time with the people you love. Dave's going to be hypervigilant about recording everything properly. It'll all be on the up and up."

"I wouldn't expect any less of you." I smiled and bit my lip. "I promise I won't take advantage."

"Can I start negotiations on how to get you out of some of those clothes now?" Edward asked, grinning rakishly.

"It's awfully late…" I sighed. "And we have an early flight."

"Fuck it. We'll sleep on the plane," Edward announced, standing while pulling me into his arms.

 **~*~*Reviews are better than John Hamm & Nelly. Leave one! *~*~**


	25. Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

The day of the fundraiser was filled with what I had come to think of as a lot of "hurry up and wait." We hurried to leave the hotel and get to the airport, only to wait for our flight. We hurried to board the plane, only to wait on the tarmac. Edward was right. We both did manage to nap on the flight back to St. Louis, but then it was a flurry of hurry up to get to our car and get home, only for me to wait for Alice to arrive so we could get ready for the event together.

"If I have to suffer through this, you can suffer with me," Alice had implored. "I'll help you with your hair if you help me with my makeup!"

"Deal." I giggled. Alice was no more of a dress-up sort of girl than I was. I smiled as I thought of the way she'd looked the day we met. I could imagine her and Jasper having a little girl just like Ally, complete with pigtails, Converse, and a concert t-shirt. She would be a tiny, precious punk-princess. I couldn't wait!

Of course, I knew Edward had asked Victoria to come to the house for a brief meeting, and I knew what that meeting would entail. Edward was going to tell Victoria about my new position in his foundation and about her removal from the core advisory group. It wasn't that I was being a coward, exactly, by hiding out in my office; I just didn't want my presence to feel like I was rubbing salt in a wound.

I spent time getting the staff scheduled for the next two weeks lined up with the calendar on my phone. Everything would be set and in proper order when Mrs. Spreckles returned at the end of the month. Hopefully, she'd come back and be able to step right into business as usual without too much disruption. I even told Edward I'd stick around for a week after her return, just to make the transition go smoothly. I'd then transition back to my place at Angela's and, hopefully, get into my own apartment soon after.

" _You don't have to leave just because Spreckles is coming back, you know," Edward had said, tugging at my hips until my body was flush to his. "You can stay here. With me."_

" _Edward, I want_ _to have my own place."_

" _It's not like I'm here much, anyway," he needlessly reminded me. "You'd have all the privacy you want."_

" _It's not about having privacy." I shook my head. "It's about_ _normalcy_ _. Do you remember how you picked me up out front for our first date?"_

" _Mmhmm." Edward pressed his lips together, frowning while he twisted a piece of my hair around his finger._

" _You liked the idea of coming to my front door. Well… I want to_ _have_ _a front door. My_ _own_ _front door."_

" _Fine." He sighed. "But fully expect I'm going to be knocking on your door at very odd hours."_

" _Okay." I smiled._

" _And I'm going to have to insist that your place have a good security system. I don't want to be worried about you when I'm away."_

" _Edward? Breathe." I laughed. "It's gonna be great. You'll see."_

" _I don't know how it'll be great when you're not here."_

I was lost in the memory, thinking about the way he'd so sweetly kissed me, when Mrs. Waters knocked on my office door.

"Bella?" she asked.

"Hmm?" I blinked up at her, placing my phone on my desk.

"The gardener would like to speak to you out back."

"Oh! Sure." I smiled. "Thank you." I followed her toward the door. "Does Edward still have his… guest?"

"Victoria?" Mrs. Waters made a slight face. "They've been in his office for the past forty-five minutes."

"Will you let me know when she leaves?"

"Absolutely." She nodded.

After speaking with the gardener, I took a walk around the property to enjoy a few minutes of quiet time before the day became a rush once more. I saw Alice on the patio when I made my way back toward the house.

"There you are!" She smiled. "Mrs. Water's told me you were out here."

"I was waiting for Victoria to leave," I admitted, wrinkling my nose.

"You're in luck. I just spoke to her in the hall. She was looking for you in your office. I think she wanted to talk to you, but I told her we have plans."

"Thank you." I sighed. "I supposed I'll have to talk with her later, but maybe it'll go easier in a room full of witnesses."

"Are you afraid of her?" Alice snorted.

"No." I shook my head. "I just don't want anything to spoil this day."

"Then let's get our asses in gear." Alice smiled. "We only have about an hour to get ready!"

Edward was standing at the foot of the stairs when we entered the house.

"How did it go?" I asked, reaching for his hand.

"Surprisingly well." He smiled. "I think Vickie's relieved. She didn't really sign on for all of the extra work. She's already so busy, you know."

"Yeah?"

"Working on this fundraiser was a little too much strain on her schedule." He rubbed his chin. "It was enough to make her see she wouldn't have adequate time to devote to the foundation as we grow. She did offer to volunteer on an as-needed basis, though."

"Well… That sounds less dramatic than I thought it might be."

"Me, too." Edward shrugged. "She just left. I think she'd like tonight to go well, you know, since it was a big project for her. Alice? I didn't expect you so soon. Did you take care of the final details?"

"Yep." She grinned. "Bella and I are going to help each other get ready for the dinner." She smiled. "Bella's doing my makeup."

"But Bella hardly wears makeup." Edward frowned.

"That's the point." Alice rolled her eyes. "When I try to get ready for fancy things, it looks like I try too hard. Bella will get it just right. It takes a careful hand to apply makeup so that it looks like you aren't really wearing makeup."

"Poor girls." Edward smiled, cupping my chin so he could place a small kiss on my lips. "I don't envy you. All I have to do to get ready is take a shower and get dressed up in my monkey suit."

"Rub it in." I elbowed him playfully. "Not all of us look great without trying."

"You could go dressed like this and still be the most beautiful woman in the room." Edward smiled.

"Sure." I snorted. "That will be the theme of your next fundraiser. Leggings and t-shirts."

"Don't forget your flip-flops," he teased.

"You're going to make us late," Alice grumbled. "Jasper's going to be here soon. I thought we could all go over together."

"All right. Get going." Edward shrugged.

In the end, Alice looked like an angel in ice blue. She wore a thin jeweled headband pushed into her short, dark hair, and she positively glowed. I knew the radiance came less from the highlighting powder I'd pressed to her cheekbones and more to do with her pregnancy, but she still swore I'd worked magic on her flawless skin.

I, however, looked to be her opposite, dressed in red. It had been an unusual decision for me, but I was glad I'd made it. Alice had twisted all of my hair in a low chignon, which bared my neck and the top of my shoulders, an effect that made me feel graceful and elegant. I felt almost regal, and I borrowed confidence from the color I wore.

"Edward's going to die." Alice giggled. "He won't be able to keep his hands off you, you know!"

"Alice!"

"Don't let him drag you into the coat closet!"

"He would never!"

Oh, but he would. As soon as I came upstairs and saw the look on Edward's face as he watched me approach, I knew he would. Edward stared at me like he wanted to eat me alive, and the very thought of what might come later sent a shiver up my spine.

"Miss Swan?" Edward shook his head and smiled. "I have no words."

"Good, because we don't have time for a speech." Jasper chuckled. "We're going to be late!"

"Ahh. But there's something missing," Edward cocked his head, still looking at me. "Alice?"

"Hmm." She tapped her finger to her chin. "You know, brother…" She nodded. "I think you're right." Alice reached into her bag and handed Edward a small white box. "The item you requested, sir."

"Edward!" I put my hand to my chest, inhaling sharply when he opened the box before me. Inside was a pair of stunning diamond drop earrings. "You didn't!"

"I didn't." He shook his head. "These are borrowed. I promise."

"From the same place that leant me this." Alice pointed at her headband. "I picked them up on the way over."

"Thank you both." I smiled widely.

I put the earrings in place and then took a deep breath. Now I really did feel like royalty. "Well?"

"The diamonds do nothing for you." Edward lifted my hand and kissed the back of my knuckles. "In this case, the lady outshines the jewels."

"Oh, God." Jasper rolled his eyes. "It's getting deep in here, and this one wouldn't let me wear my boots tonight!" He hugged Alice to his side and playfully kissed her on the cheek.

"Can we go now?" I was beginning to feel awkward as the center of so much attention and teasing.

"I think we should." Edward nodded, offering his arm. As soon as Jasper and Alice had stepped far enough ahead of us, he leaned down and whispered in my ear. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can get you back here. Alone." Again, I shivered. Edward noticed and gave me one of my favorite half-grins that made me feel weak in the knees.

The hall booked for the event was amazing. Chandeliers and candlelight made the room sparkle. Victoria had done her job well, filling the space with well-dressed, very important people. Alice? She'd made the event beautiful and exactly what Edward had hoped for. The party was elegant but not stodgy. Laughter and light conversation made the atmosphere seem relaxed despite the formal wear worn by attendants. Politicians, celebrities, and baseball players rubbed elbows, danced, dined, and generally seemed to have a very good time.

And Victoria? Victoria was… pleasant _._ If she seemed a little cool when she congratulated me about my new position, I could contribute it to the fact she had a lot on her mind. People seemed to be pulling her in a million different directions, eager to talk to her for official comments and statements to be used in various publications. Riley was her doting date, refreshing her drink and following her around from group to group. He grinned at me once, giving me a thumbs up. I returned the gesture, feeling like I had a partner in the chaos. Victoria was dating someone else and apparently holding no grudges about ending her working relationship with the foundation. It seemed she had, in fact, moved on.

Edward was adorably awkward and charming when he had to step up on stage to give his speech. I don't know what I had expected, but listening to him slightly stammer through the delivery of his statement made him somehow more dear to me. And the real, honest way he spoke about his mission with the foundation clearly convinced everyone in the room it was a work of the heart. Edward might not have been a polished public speaker, but it was evident he was passionate about leveling the playing field for children with special needs.

"Children with developmental disabilities cannot be, um, lumped into neat, tidy little black and white boxes. I mean, every child is different and unique. We hope to make it possible for these children to enjoy baseball. Maybe that just means they'll be able to go to a game with their family, or, if they want, they can learn to play and become actively, um, involved with the sport through summer camps and after-school programs. Damn. I'm sorry." Edward dropped his head for a moment and cleared his throat. When he looked up again, his voice held no hint of wavering. "My son was able to sit through his first live baseball game to watch me play earlier this week, and that was because someone took the time to consider _his_ personal comfort and needs. Now, I know what worked for him won't work for everyone, but that's the kind of thinking and effort we need to make for these kids, to figure out different ways to include as many people as possible. If I can help even one other family feel the way I did when I saw him up there in his seat…" Edward blew out a shaky breath. "Well, that's all I want to do. And thanks to the generosity of all of you here tonight, I think we're going to be off to a really great start in building a truly inclusive program."

Edward's speech was met with a round of exuberant applause. I, myself, clapped so hard that my palms stung. I couldn't get rid of the smile on my face.

"You're radiant," Edward told me a short while later, pressing a glass of champagne into my hand. "The dress? The room? The earrings? It suits you, Ms. Swan."

"It's none of those things." I tilted my head as I looked up at him. "It's the _man_. I'm _so_ proud of you, Edward."

He thoughtfully considered me, looking into my eyes. I swore he blushed a little before he looked down.

"All of my awards on the field don't impress you nearly as much as this…"

"Because that stuff is your job," I told him. " _This_ is your heart."

"So are you."

I let him kiss me then. It was very sweet, very long, and probably inappropriate for where we were, but I didn't care.

When Edward danced with me, I had to giggle. Neither of us was a very good dancer. We sort of swayed back and forth like an awkward couple at a high school dance.

"What's so funny?" Edward asked.

"I was just thinking I feel like I'm at prom," I teased.

"I hope the band is better." Edward rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't know." I shrugged with my arms over his shoulders. "I never went to my prom."

"No?"

"Nope." I shook my head.

"I find it very hard to believe you didn't have five or six high school boys lined up to buy you a corsage."

"My dad was sick." I shrugged again. "I didn't want to go."

"Ahh." Edward pressed his lips together. "Well, I hope I can make it up to you. I'm not a very good dancer. Esme tried to teach me, but…"

"I'm not, either." I snorted. "When I was a little girl, my dad used to put me up on his feet."

"Do you want to stand on my feet?" Edward raised an eyebrow.

"Let's not tempt any injury." I giggled. "We'd both fall in a tangle, and half of the room would be out for my head if you couldn't play in the next game because of a freak dancing accident."

"Let's save ourselves the possible embarrassment." Edward nodded. "We can leave the dancing, but I insist that no prom experience is complete until I try to get you to put out in the back of my car."

"We'll see." I blushed, enjoying the easy banter between us. "Want to go check out the silent auction?"

In the hallway, rows and rows of tables were set up with donated gift packages. One only had to write in their name and a dollar amount on little donation sheets to try to win any number of luxury items. Most of the gifts were sports related, but several were not.

"Did you donate any of these things?" I asked.

"Mmhmm." Edward nodded. "When I won MVP, I was awarded a new Chevy truck. I donated it."

"Really?" I asked, wide-eyed.

"I don't need it." Edward shrugged. "My family has everything they need, so I figured it would bring in a nice donation for the foundation."

Edward's generosity gave me an idea of my own, and I moved around the tables, looking with renewed interest at the bidding sheets.

"Thinking of a vacation?" Edward asked when I stopped to review a folder detailing a two-day Vegas getaway.

"Wouldn't this be cool?" I asked, looking up at him. "Two days in an awesome suite on the Vegas strip? It's all inclusive! Even show tickets…"

"I didn't know you were a gambler."

"I'm taking a chance on you, aren't I?" I playfully nudged his side. "No. I don't gamble much, but since I'm Angela's maid of honor, I'm supposed to be putting together a bachelorette party. Wouldn't it be fun to take the girls to Vegas for two days before the wedding?"

"It sounds like a great idea." Edward nodded, reaching for a bidding sheet. "Angela would love it."

"What are you doing?" I asked, slapping at his hand.

"I'm going to bid!"

"Don't you dare!" I frowned. "You'll out-bid me! I want to win this!"

"I can win it for you." Edward smiled. "It'll make me feel better about the fact I'll be on a road trip and can't be your date for the wedding."

"A guilt trip?" I rolled my eyes. "No, thank you. I want to do this on my own."

"You have extra money lying around I don't know about?" Edward asked. "I thought you were saving."

"I am." I shrugged. "But Doc told me he knows someone who offered to buy my truck. I'm going to let him. He said he could get $30,000 for it. So, it turns out, I _do_ have some extra money lying around, and I'd like to spend it here, for the foundation."

"Bella!" Edward gasped before grabbing my wrist. "I can't let you sell your father's truck!"

"I don't need it." I smiled, shaking my head. "Not anymore, Edward. You're donating your truck. Why can't I donate mine?"

"Are you sure?" he asked, eyebrows pressed down. "I know how much that truck means to you."

"I was going to have to junk it, Edward. _You're_ the one who got it fixed up, and you've also made sure I have a really nice 'company car' to drive. I'm sure."

"All right, then." He smiled. "Good luck winning your trip."

"Thank you." I pulled my shoulders back and reached for a bidding sheet.

"Don't bid more than $5,000," Edward suggested. "I haven't noticed a lot of activity near this end of the room. I think most people are spending their money on the World Series pack."

"Thank you." I smiled, accepting his advice. Just because I had the extra money didn't mean I wanted to be outrageous in my gift to Angela.

"There you are!" Alice called out, just as I was dropping my slip into the box. "Edward, we need you to get back up on stage! They're getting ready to auction off the players!"

"Shit," Edward muttered. "Okay. Let's do this."

Edward joined fourteen other men on stage, each looking adorably awkward as they smiled and waved out to the crowd of people who returned to their seats for the auction. I fanned myself with the baseball paddle Alice gave me, watching as Edward pushed his fingers through his long hair, adjusted his tie, and looked nervous.

One by one, the men stepped up to the microphone to state their names and the teams they played for. Some of them told brief stories about why they had agreed to donate their time and talents to the event. One catcher told the crowd about what it was like to grow up with a sister who has Down Syndrome, and another man talked about his love for a nephew who was on the autism spectrum. Every one of them described the event they were bringing to the auction.

One player offered to give personal batting lessons. One man offered a date to the symphony. Edward offered up dinner and a movie. Jasper planned to go to someone's house to work their grill for a barbeque. The audience was in hysterics when the third baseman from the Cubs offered to come to someone's house and wash and wax a vehicle of their choice in only a blue speedo. I had a feeling _that_ would bring in the highest donations for the night. He was cute! I gestured to Edward that I would consider bidding on that guy and earned a playful scowl in response.

And then the auction began. It was a rowdy affair. Guests hooted and yelled and cat-called the men on the auction block while they continued to bid crazy amounts of money. It was all done in fun and for a great cause. I noticed some of the wealthier women in attendance bidding ludicrous amounts of money for some of the men who offered dates, and it made me wonder just how much someone might be willing to pay to sit in a theater seat beside Edward.

When Jasper stepped up for the bidding, Alice was ready to go.

"No one is coming between me, my man, and food!" she insisted. I smiled as she outbid a couple who seemed hell-bent on the barbeque. Alice paid $15,000 to win her fiancé. "I'll be right back." She smiled. "That guy looks really disappointed. I'm going to invite them over to our place so he can share the prize!"

I loved her good attitude and hoped I could stay as gracious when I watched people bidding for Edward.

Turns out, I couldn't.

Edward started the bidding with a large number of people that seemed interested in winning him, probably because he was the host of the event. As the number climbed, however, the number of people bidding started to narrow out.

"If I win, will you share your popcorn, you sexy beast?" some man yelled out over the crowd, making everyone laugh. Edward nodded and gave the guy a thumbs up.

Eventually, however, as the bids exceeded the $10,000 mark, I noticed there were only women left who were raising their paddles. I shouldn't have been surprised. Who wouldn't want to go out on a casual date with The Lion? I saw an elderly woman sitting at a table to my right who kept repeatedly raising her paddle.

"That wouldn't be so bad," I whispered over to Alice. "She looks sweet. I hope she wins!"

"She could be bidding for her super-hot granddaughter or something." Alice frowned.

"It's all for fun." I shrugged.

"Sure." Alice nodded. "Who keeps raising the bid?"

We both started looking around, trying to discern which tables were still in the bidding war. Try as I might, I couldn't see who else was lifting their paddle to win Edward.

"$16,000 from table eight!" the emcee spoke into the mic. "Do I see $17,000?"

The elderly lady raised her paddle again after a moment of hesitation, but her bid was cancelled out immediately by the emcee who received a bid for $18,000.

"Who the fuck is bidding that much?" Alice asked, craning her neck.

I leaned back in my chair, looking to the right. As luck would have it, I was able to catch the moment Victoria raised her paddle, bidding $20,000.

"That bitch!" I hissed. I immediately looked back to the lady who had been bidding, biting my lip as I saw her shake her head and place her paddle on the table in front of her. Anyone— _anyone_ —in the room could've won that date with Edward, and I would've been fine with it… but not Victoria. It felt like a personal insult, coming from her. Feeling a possessive streak flash through me, I grabbed my paddle and held it up as far as my arm could reach.

"$25,000!" I spoke loudly. I could feel eyes turn with curiosity in my direction. I didn't care. Edward saw me, and his face broke into a large, happy grin. He stepped forward in front of the emcee to grab the microphone.

"SOLD!"

Maybe it wasn't the way the bidding should have ended, but I didn't care. Edward didn't give Victoria a chance to counter my offer. He jumped down off the stage and hurried across the room to me. I could hear applause erupt around us when Edward reached for me and dipped me back in a very theatrical kiss.

"Oh, God," I muttered, covering my face with my hands when he finally righted me. People were still clapping, and I was mortified.

"What did you do, you crazy, crazy woman?" Edward asked me. "What can I say?" Edward spoke loudly, tossing his arms out. "She loves me!"

"Sit down!" I groaned, feeling the color of my face match my dress.

"I would've paid extra if I knew I'd get a smooch like that!" the rowdy man from before yelled out, providing comic relief once again.

Edward sat beside me throughout the rest of the auction. I'd been right. The Cubs player brought in $30,000 to wash a car in his speedo. A cute redhead wearing glasses jumped up and down like she'd won the lottery after she had the highest bid. Altogether, the accumulated total for the players' auction brought in a staggering amount of money for the foundation. Edward kissed me once more before he had to return to the stage.

"Brilliant idea," Edward murmured against my mouth. "I love you."

"If I weren't pregnant, I would bitch slap her." Alice continued to complain about Victoria, scowling over toward table eight. "She's got a lot of nerve!"

"Don't worry about her." I shook my head. It was over. Bidding aside, I could have a date with Edward any day of the week. Victoria would've had to pay for that time. It felt really good to think of it that way. The money was never really mine to begin with. I didn't mind adding it all to the total brought in for the evening.

"She's coming this way." Alice frowned. "I'm leaving."

"Don't." I shook my head.

"I'm going to make a really big scene if I stay," Alice told me. "It would be better if I went to find Jasper."

I rose from the table, intent to follow behind Alice, but stopped when Victoria reached out to touch my shoulder from behind. I turned, faking a surprised look as though I hadn't noticed her approach.

"Oh! Victoria!"

"Good job. Congratulations on that auction." She nodded. The smile on her face looked as fake as I knew my own expression was. "It was cute how you two had that one set up! Everyone loved it."

"Yeah… It all worked out." I nodded. If I denied her claim, she'd know I purposefully outbid her. It was best to let her think it was planned.

Victoria's groomed eyebrows pulled up. "You know I was only bidding to raise the amount, right? All for a good cause?"

"Sure." I nodded. "Um… Excuse me. I need to check on the silent auction."

I left her standing there at the table and stepped out into the hall. They were just getting ready to place the winner's names at the tables, and so I turned to walk toward the Vegas trip. It was there when I ran into Riley, who had just walked away from the coat room and was heading toward the elevators.

"Riley?" I called out. He turned, looking aggravated, and then lowered his shoulders and smiled in my direction when he saw me. "What are you doing?" I asked, walking up beside him. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah." He sighed. "That auction was bullshit. I've been suitably humiliated for the evening. I'm out of here."

"Humiliated?"

"Vickie bidding on Edward?" Riley rolled his eyes. "Come on."

"She said she was just trying to get the other lady to keep bidding."

"Fuck that." Riley scowled. "If you believe that shit, you're more naive than I thought."

"Hey!"

"Listen." He shook his head and lightly touched my arm. "I'm sorry. I'm pissed, and I'm taking it out on you. But if Victoria keeps trying to sell that story, ask her how many other players she bid on. Go ahead. If she was trying to raise the bids, she would've done it for more than just Edward. Hell, she didn't even touch her paddle for any of the other Cardinals players. That chick is damaged. I'm done."

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault, doll. I'm heading back to California, where things are normal."

"Ugh!" I turned and didn't make it past two tables before I was stopped by the elderly woman who had been bidding to win a date with Edward.

"Are you Isabella Swan?" the woman asked.

"I am." I nodded, feeling a real smile pull at my lips. "And you are?"

"Lorraine Garner." She smiled, offering her hand to shake mine. "Did I hear correctly that you're working with the foundation?"

"I am." I smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

"I can certainly see why Mr. Cullen is so taken with you." She grinned. "You're beautiful!"

"Oh. Thank you." I blushed. "I'm sorry about the auction."

"That's all right." She fluttered her fingers. "I bid more than I should have. I would've been happy to win any of the Redbirds, really. I gave myself a limit of $10,000, but I didn't win the other players, so I bid a little more on Edward, since he was the last one I could have tried for."

"Are you a big fan?"

"Of the Cardinals? Yes. Always have been." She smiled. "My husband and I have had season tickets every summer for the last thirty-five years. Well, Arthur passed away last winter. He would've loved to attend this fundraiser with me, so I was donating in his honor. We had dinner with Stan Musial at an event like this one once! Can you imagine?"

"That must've been amazing." I nodded.

"Anyway, I just wanted to congratulate you, dear," Lorraine told me. "It was nice to meet you."

"Wait. Lorraine?" I implored her to stay when I saw Edward walking through the crowd toward us.

"Yes?" She didn't see Edward behind her, so I smiled up at him over her shoulder.

"Edward?" I asked, greeting him. "This is Lorraine Garner."

"Oh!" The woman put her hand over her heart and turned her body as Edward moved to stand beside me. "Oh, dear!"

"Ms. Garner?" Edward replied. "Nice to meet you."

The woman seemed speechless, so I lightly bumped Edward's side with my hip.

"Lorraine was the nice lady who was bidding on a date with you."

"Really?" He smiled politely. "I'm honored. Thank you, ma'am."

"I…" Lorraine still looked dumbfounded.

"She and her husband have been Cardinals fans for years," I continued. "Unfortunately, he passed away recently."

"I'm very sorry to hear that."

"She was just telling me she and Arthur had dinner with Stan Musial once!"

"Really? Wow!" Edward didn't have to fake his enthusiasm. "Stan the Man!"

"I was just thinking… You two would probably have a lot of fun baseball memories you could share if I gave her the date I just won."

Edward's eyebrows shot up as he looked at me questioningly. I nodded, hoping he'd play along.

"Well, that would be wonderful." Edward caught on quickly. He turned his head and smiled at the woman. "What do you think, Lorraine? Would you like to go to a movie and dinner with me?"

"I…" She looked back and forth between the two of us. "Are you serious?"

"I am!" I giggled. "Edward's a sucker for old baseball stories. I think you'd both enjoy the night out."

"Of course." Lorraine smiled. "If you're sure…"

"I am," I promised. "Here. Just make sure you give your number to the emcee of the auction so Edward can reach out to you for a time that works."

"Thank you. Thank you so much." Lorraine looked misty-eyed. "Arthur would've been so thrilled. Thank you!"

"She seemed very sweet," Edward told me after Lorraine walked away.

"She should've won." I shrugged. "Thank you, Edward."

"Anything for you, Bella."

"Anything?"

"Yes. Anything. Why? Did you have something else in mind?"

"Maybe," I teased. "I was thinking it would be fun to watch you wash my car in only a red speedo!"

I won a date with Edward and gave it away. I won a trip to Vegas and couldn't wait to surprise Angela with an amazing bachelorette party. The man who had been cat-calling Edward during the auction walked away with a shiny new Chevy truck. Edward won, too. The fundraiser was a huge success, and the foundation made a mind-boggling amount of money to get started. And even though I didn't go all the way with him in the back of his car, we did make out like a couple of horny teenagers after we dropped Jasper and Alice off for the night.

Best not-a-prom night _ever_. Not even Victoria was able to ruin it. I was just thankful the event was over because that meant Victoria's seat on the foundation committee was officially vacant. Edward and I could finally move forward.

 ***~*~Reviews are better than baseball paddles. Leave one.~*~***


	26. Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

August came in with a show of hazy summer heat that seemed to slow activity to a crawl when compared to the rapid-fire pace we kept during the month of July. Edward's schedule remained the same, but even that seemed easier. Things just gelled, like warm, sticky honey. Time seemed to slow down for us when we were together. Instead of rushed, frantic kisses, Edward drugged me with an unhurried sort of tenderness I'd never experienced before. I fell more and more in love with him with every passing moment. Even when he wasn't with me, I could feel him there.

"Okay. What's with the sighing?" Angela asked from beside me. We were both lying by the pool while I worked on the tan I desperately needed so I wouldn't look completely disgusting in the yellow dress I'd be wearing for the wedding.

"Did I sigh?" I shielded my eyes with my forearm and squinted over at her.

"About three times." Angela giggled.

"I was thinking of Edward."

"Of course you were. Care to share the dirty details?"

But there were no dirty details to share. I'd been thinking of the way he held my hand while he and I were out by the pool like this the day before. He hadn't simply reached to hold my hand; he let the tips of his fingers caress mine and then traced my palm. It was like he was memorizing the texture of my skin. I could still feel his ghost touch when I ran the pad of my thumb against my fingertips.

"I was just thinking… I like the way he touches… my hand," I replied honestly.

"You are such a prude! I'm never going to get raunchy sex details from you, am I?" Angela teased.

Oh, there were plenty I could disclose, if I wanted to. But I didn't want to. Being with Edward was a sacred, private thing. Just thinking of how he lavished his slow, careful attention on every inch of my body was enough to make my stomach quiver. I got up and dove into the pool to cool off.

Angela had been thrilled beyond belief when I gifted her the Vegas bachelorette party pack I'd won at the auction.

" _This will cover six of us." I smiled at her. "A hotel suite at the Bellagio and tickets to see two different shows. There's Cirque du Solei and Britney Spears in concert…"_

" _Oh, my God! We could see the Thunder from Down Under show!"_

" _How did I guess I wouldn't get through the party without strippers being involved?" I laughed and rolled my eyes._

" _No way! No way!" Angela squealed while jumping up and down. "You know, we'll have to take Jake. He won't forgive us if we do this without him."_

" _That's up to you! I guess he could act as an honorary bodyguard for the trip." I smiled._

" _How did you do this? It must've cost a fortune!"_

" _It wasn't_ _that_ _much." I shook my head. "It was a silent auction. I got lucky." Honestly? I wasn't sure I'd bid enough for the package. I had a sneaking suspicion Edward dropped a slip in the box behind me with my name on it, but he denied it. "It was the least I could do, Ang. You're like a sister, and you've always been there for me. I want to do this for you."_

I was actually thankful when Mrs. Spreckles returned to the house. She took over her former duties right away, giving me plenty of time to finally dedicate myself to wedding planning with Angela while I was also securing my new apartment.

Edward had seemed less than enthused when I asked him to join me for a second walkthrough of a place I'd fallen in love with. The apartment broker took my cue and left us alone while I tried to sell the idea to him as I held his hand and showed him all of the amenities.

" _Look at this living room!" I smiled. "It's so open! And these bookshelves? It's perfect!"_

" _I have bookshelves..."_

" _Did you see the terrace?" I asked, dragging him outside to the quiet sitting area. It was large enough for two chairs and a small table, and it faced the wooded area at the back of the building. Edward frowned and shrugged. I knew it wasn't as grand as his own backyard, but it was still and peaceful out here. I could imagine myself sitting outside, reading, or getting some work done while enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning. But Edward was pouting, so I put my arms over his shoulders and smiled up at him. "You have to admit this is a great view."_

" _Mm-hmm. Sure is," he relented. I noticed he was looking down my shirt, so I playfully slapped at his arm and moved away._

" _It's only twenty minutes from your place, Edward."_

" _I guess that's not so bad."_

" _And no one can get into the building unless they're buzzed in."_

" _I like that. Parking?"_

" _Private parking. Underground. I won't have to walk in off the street. It's got everything you requested. Can you at least try to be happy for me?"_

" _I'll try…"_

" _Come look at the kitchen!" He followed me back indoors, and I hurried into the medium-sized, very clean kitchen. "There's a microwave where I can warm my milk! And look at all of this counter space!"_

" _I_ _do_ _like the countertops," Edward allowed. I squealed when he grabbed me by the waist and spun me around, lifting me to sit on the bar counter in front of him. He slid me to the front and back, grinning mischievously. "Are these marble?"_

" _I don't know." I giggled._

" _Yes… Yes, I think the kitchen does have possibilities," he murmured, pulling my legs to lock around him._

" _I could make you breakfast in here." I smiled, putting my arms over his shoulders again so I could push my fingers into the back of his long hair. "After you stay over…"_

" _I would_ _have_ _to stay over." He nodded, lowering his face to kiss my neck as I giggled. "It would be my duty to help you christen each room, you know."_

" _Now you're getting the idea," I told him, feeling breathless. "See? That wasn't so hard."_

" _Oh… It's pretty_ _hard_ _," Edward muttered against my neck, rocking his hips between my legs so I could, in fact, understand exactly what he was talking about. "We'll start in the kitchen, and then I'll make love to you out on that terrace… and up against your fucking bookcases…"_

" _Edward!" I gasped. He covered my mouth with his own, and I leaned back, pulling him closer to me. Unfortunately, our moment was interrupted by the apartment broker, who decided to rejoin us just then. My face burned red, and I tried to catch my breath, embarrassed to be found in such a compromising position. Edward remained cool, however. He just looked over at her and shrugged._

" _What can I say?" He asked. "The lady loves the kitchen. She'll take it."_

I'd promised Edward I'd stay at his place to make Mrs. Spreckles transition back to her old routine easier, but that old woman didn't need me at all. It was Edward's transition I was worried about. As he promised, though, Edward tried. I caught him brooding from time to time, but I knew that he wanted me to be happy. I wanted him to be happy, too.

When Edward was in town, I went to every one of his games. When he was away, I worked. I helped Angela, and I packed up my things. I met with Tom and Dave and got started looking at the budget we would be allowed to begin working on redesigning the stadium suite to the Cardinal's Calming Room. Edward went on his date with Lorraine, which turned out to be a God-send for the foundation. It turned out that her husband, Arthur, had been on the board for the St. Louis branch at Purina for years. His widow remained an honorary member and talked to her connections with the company, getting us another corporate sponsor for our space at the stadium.

"I planned to have stuffed animals available in the room, anyway," I told Edward. "We can get stuffed puppies with Purina tags on them the children can play with."

"I'll talk to Victoria and see if we need to add a Cardinal's tie-in," Edward told me.

Ahh… Victoria. Gone, but not gone. Thankfully, Edward was doing his best to keep her at arm's length. He hadn't appreciated her stunt at the fundraiser any more than I had, especially after I told him what Riley had said before he left.

We'd been lying in his bed, enjoying a few moments of alone time. Edward rested his cheek on the pillow beside me and drew lazy circles with his finger around one of my nipples.

" _I hate to say it, but I think you're right," Edward said. "She told me she broke it off with Riley because she thought he was just using her to try to get close to_ _you_ _."_

" _You know that's not true." I shook my head and frowned up at the ceiling._

" _As easy as it is for me to believe any smart man would do the same," he mumbled, "I know you're right. It was like she was still trying to get me to believe you and Riley had something going. But I know better than that."_

" _Good."_

" _I trust you," he said, looking up at me. "That's how this works, right? You have faith in me, and I have faith in you."_

" _Yes." I nodded, reaching for him. "Now, can we stop talking about your ex? It's not much of a turn-on."_

" _You're not turned on?" Edward playfully asked. "Well, by all means! I'll have to do something about that!"_

And he did. Lord, he did. Edward and I couldn't get enough of each other. I think it had more to do with the idea I wouldn't be living under his roof for much longer. The red-circled moving date on my calendar was ever approaching. I stopped even mentioning it to him. The closer we got, the moodier he seemed to become. He claimed it was because the end of the season was stressing him out. The race was close, and every single game was important if the Cardinals wanted to play post-season ball.

"This is just fucking great." Edward tossed clothes in his bag, stomping around the room. "I don't know why you can't put off the move until I get back."

"Because my lease begins mid-month, and I have movers hired to help me this weekend."

"I could help you move on Monday."

"Or you could come see me in my new place on Monday," I coaxed, smiling. "And all of the heavy lifting will be done so you can spend the day relaxing with me."

"That's just what I want to do," Edward replied sarcastically. "Drive myself across the city when I get home from a road trip!"

"You're taking your crap mood out on me."

"No, I'm not."

"Uh, yeah, you really are," I argued. "I have boxes at Angela's old place and some in a storage unit, too. I thought I'd be doing you a favor by getting all of that moved while you were away!"

"If that's your idea of a favor, don't do me any," Edward growled. "I have to go."

"See ya," I mumbled at his back as he slammed the door.

Moving day wasn't fun. Edward didn't even call me on Saturday. The team lost, but I still expected some sort of phone call or maybe a text message. In truth, I was nursing sore feelings for the way he'd left things between us. On Sunday, I was in a horrible mood after staying up late the night before to unpack things, waiting for a phone call that never came. When my buzzer let me know I had a visitor at 6:30 Monday morning, I knew it was him. I briefly considered not letting him up… but I missed him.

"I'm sorry," Edward said as soon as I opened the door. He held a huge bouquet of fresh-cut flowers in his arms and looked sincerely apologetic. "I was an ass, and I'm so sorry, Bella."

"The flowers are beautiful." I sighed.

"You should have flowers for your new apartment. I was going to have them sent yesterday, but I realized I don't know your address. I would've been here sooner this morning, but I had to wait for the farmer's market to open so I could get these."

"Come in." I smiled. "Let me get a vase."

I walked to the kitchen to put the flowers in water while Edward looked around.

"You have a lot done already," he noted.

"I didn't have anything else to do." I shrugged.

"It looks different."

"The apartment looked bigger when it was empty." I wrinkled my nose.

"No. It's better now. It looks like _you_ ," Edward told me. He walked over to my bookcase and ran his finger across the spines of a few of my books. He paused to pick up the baseball I'd placed there. It was the one he had tossed to me when I went to see him play for the first time. "It guess it looks a little like me, too."

"Can I get you some coffee?"

"I'd love some." He nodded. "Want to drink it outside?"

"I don't have chairs out there, yet."

"Do you need a patio set?"

"I'll get one eventually." I rolled my eyes. "And no, I don't want you to buy me patio furniture, Edward."

"I'm doing it again, aren't I?" He winced.

"Kinda, yeah." I nodded. "Here's your coffee."

"I'm sorry," Edward repeated. "It's hard for me not to spoil you. I understand you need to do this for yourself."

"You do?"

"I've… done a lot of thinking this weekend." He nodded. "And I know I was behaving like a spoiled brat. It was easy for me to have you at my house and see you whenever I wanted to, but… I should have to put in a little work, make an effort. You deserve that."

"This move didn't have anything to do with you, Edward. It's about me."

"I'm trying to understand."

"Thank you." I smiled at him over the brim of my cup. "What time do you have to be at the stadium today?"

"2:00. Feel like coming to the game tonight?"

"As a matter of fact, I think I have some free time." I grinned. "How about a late dinner after?"

"Do you want me to come over here?"

"I was thinking I'd pick up pizza and bring it to your place." I shrugged.

"Really?"

"I'm awfully sore from moving all of this stuff. I'd love to sit in your hot tub."

"Oh… Now I see. You want to use me for my hot tub." Edward was joking, so I played along.

"Don't be silly," I teased. "I want you for your body, too."

"Oh!" Edward laughed. "Well, what if I sweeten the deal and promise a massage to go with the pizza?"

"You're the perfect man." I sighed.

"This dating thing might not be so bad," he said, sipping his coffee.

I pretty much echoed that sentiment later, when I sat across from Edward in his Jacuzzi. His promised massage started at my toes. He lifted each of my legs from the water, in turn, applying pressure to the arches of my feet, my ankles, and then my calves. Edward didn't even get a chance to rub my back. By the time he'd tended to my thighs—very thoroughly, I might add—all thoughts of sore muscles were gone. I wrapped myself around him, kissing him passionately while he held me tightly to his chest.

"I want you," I whispered, biting his earlobe.

"We should go upstairs…"

"No," I insisted. "Now. Now, Edward." I reached beneath the water to hold him and then sank my body down on his length.

"Oh… Fucking hell," he groaned against my shoulder.

Edward didn't have the ability to move much, sitting as he was, so I was more than happy to take the lead. I rocked against him, pushing our bodies together while he attacked my chest and neck with his mouth.

"Why haven't we done this sooner?" I panted. Water sloshed in the hot tub while I ground my body against his, but soon enough, Edward craved a little more control.

"Get up," he told me. I pulled myself away, only to have him spin me in front of him, bending me over the side of the tub.

"Oh!" I exclaimed when he slapped my bottom lightly. The cool air on my hot skin combined with the slight sting from his fingers felt delicious.

"Hold on."

Dear Lord. I saw stars, and I knew my hip bones would be bruised from being pushed so forcefully against the side of the tub. I didn't care. Edward pounded into me almost ferociously, like he was claiming me, and I loved it.

I couldn't do a thing but hang on and try not fall over the edge. Over and over, he was relentless, but when Edward knew his end was approaching, he reached his hand around my waist and pressed his fingers between my legs, determined to get me there before him.

"Fuck!" I yelled as I came. "Oh... Oh!"

"Did you…?" he grunted.

"Don't stop!" I ordered. "Oh, God!"

I really didn't think it was possible, but I felt myself building toward another orgasm. My muscles clenched around him, and my arms wanted to give out. I would've fallen if Edward wasn't holding me so tightly.

When he felt me come undone the second time, it sent Edward over the edge. He hunched over my back, breathing raggedly.

"Don't move," I told him, not trusting my legs. "Just… Don't move."

"I need to sit down," he said then, kissing my back. Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and brought me against him, holding me on his lap as he sank back to sit beneath the water. I felt as limp and relaxed as a rag doll.

"What in the hell was that?" I said, sighing as I turned to let him cradle me in his arms.

"I think, Miss Swan, that a little independence suits you well."

Independence. That might've been it. In the few days that followed, Edward didn't ask me to stay over. He stayed at my place, and he made good on that other promise he'd made to help me christen each room of my apartment, including the balcony. It was a good thing I didn't have patio furniture, yet. It gave us more room to spread out a blanket and make love under the stars.

But then it was time for Edward to get ready to head back out to the East Coast, and I had to get ready for throwing Angela an awesome bachelorette party in Vegas.

Vegas. The lights, the sounds, the entertainment. The funny thing about Vegas, though, is that even if you don't intend to gamble, you still stand the chance of losing absolutely everything.

 **~*~*Reviews are better than hazy summer days. Leave one!*~*~**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

"You aren't seriously trying to dictate what I can and cannot wear for my trip to Vegas, are you?" I suspiciously looked at Edward, who had pulled a small black dress from my suitcase and was standing near the foot of my bed, studying the garment with a frown on his face.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he nonchalantly replied, tossing the item back into my bag. "I was simply trying to figure out if I've seen you wear that before."

"You haven't," I offered with a shrug. "I bought a few new things. The forecast says it's going to be nearly ninety-five degrees during the day, and I didn't have any clothes for going out in that sort of heat."

"I'm sure it'll look great on you," he suggested, though he didn't seem very happy to admit it. "You said Jake will be with you the whole time, right?"

"Yes, and he's an excellent guard dog. You have nothing to worry about, Edward."

"I'm not worried," he told me. "I don't like the idea of all of those men on the strip getting to check out my girl, but I'm not worried."

"Edward…"

"Bella…" He imitated my voice with a small smile. "I get it. I could dress you in a parka and a snowsuit, and you'd still get attention. I promise. I'm okay."

"I'll miss you, you know." I grinned at him, moving close so I could wrap my arms around his waist. "And don't think for one second it's any easier for me to know how many women check you out in those cute baseball pants of yours."

"It's called a uniform." Edward snorted.

"And it should be illegal with how good you make it look." I tossed my hair back. "Now kiss me and tell me you'll miss me too."

"I love you," he mouthed against my lips. I sank into him, both loving and hating our goodbye. I loved the way Edward kissed me before he left for a trip; thoroughly, as though he was committing every sensation to a memory to take with him. I hated that it was necessary.

"I'll be waiting for you at your place on Sunday," I promised. "Play strong and bring me back some wins."

"Someone's getting awfully demanding." Edward smiled.

"I've never been to a World Series." I shrugged. "It might be fun."

"I'll see what I can do." He rolled his eyes. "Now, I have to go, or I'll be late for my flight."

"Text me after the game?"

"Tonight." He nodded. "I'll want to know you arrived in Vegas safely tomorrow, but then I'm going off the grid. I mean it. I won't be one of those guys, Bella, who makes you feel like you have to check your phone every five minutes while you're out with the girls. I want you to focus on Angela. She deserves a wonderful celebration."

"Thank you. I love you."

"Take lots of pictures at the wedding." Edward smiled. "And tell them again I'm sorry I can't be there."

"They understand," I told him. "Now go. You'll be late."

I was incredibly thankful Edward was being so relaxed about my plans. I knew he didn't like the idea of me going on this trip, but he understood. Soon, we'd be caught up together in another wave of preparations for Alice and Jasper's upcoming nuptials. This time, unfortunately, I was in it on my own.

Thank God for Jake, even though he was doing his level best to impersonate Vince Vaughn from the moment we stepped off the plane.

"Who's the big winner at the casino tonight? Jakey! That's who. Jake's the big winner. Jake wins. That's money, baby!"

"Jake? You're going to make me crazy if you don't stop it."

"Come on, Bella! Lighten up. We're in Vegas!"

"I'm light—super light—but lay off the _Swingers_ quotes, okay?"

"You got it."

I'd never been to Vegas. It was easy to get caught up in the excitement of it all as we drove down the strip, killing time before we could check into the hotel. It was like a whole new world.

And the hotel? Seriously, it was beautiful. And huge! With only two days planned for our trip, we could easily keep ourselves amused and entertained without ever having to leave the Bellagio—restaurants, entertainment, pools, and a spa. Our gorgeous suite was upscale and opened to a second room that easily helped to accommodate our group of six.

Ahh. Six of us. Yet another reason I was so very thankful Jake had agreed to come along. The three women who rounded out the wedding party were… interesting. Barb, a cousin on Ben's side, was a forty-two-year-old housewife from Maine. She seemed most excited to be away from her two teenage children for a couple of days. Even though she claimed she needed a break, I'd already listened to tales of her children's academic and athletic accomplishments for the entire three-and-a-half-hour flight from St. Louis. It was plain to see that the woman lived her life around her children's schedules. In a way, I guess I could relate to that. Barb's idea of a good time was simply to slow down for a couple of days. I wasn't sure if Angela's other two bridesmaids would assist with that plan.

Tess and Marci? They were two cousins from Angela's side of the family. Tess had recently turned twenty-one, and Marci was twenty-two. Though I wasn't much older than either of them, I felt thirty years their senior as I listened to them squeal in excitement as they planned to take Vegas by storm. Their goals? To look awesome, eat awesome food, drink awesome drinks, see awesome shows, meet awesome celebrities. And at least one of them would get laid. Awesomely laid, I'm sure.

"Awesome," Jake mouthed over at me as we walked through the hotel lobby. I smiled and elbowed him in the side. He'd already dubbed Tess and Marci "The Awesome Twins."

"You know, they'd probably freak out if they knew you're dating a professional baseball player," Jake said when I finished my call with Edward, letting him know we'd made it to the hotel safe and sound.

"Don't you dare!" I whisper-yelled. "We aren't talking about my love life during this trip. This is Angela's week. She's supposed to be the center of attention."

"I'm just saying…"

"Nope." I shook my head. "No part of this trip is going to be about me."

"Okay, okay." He shrugged. "But we could probably get extra perks in the lounge or backstage at one of the shows if you did a little name-dropping, you know."

"I'm gonna drop _you_ ," I teased. "Come on. Let's see what Angela wants to do first."

Angela, thank heavens, seemed to have interests somewhere in the middle of her group of cousins. She wouldn't be content staying in the hotel room with a good book, as Barb might've done, but she wasn't quite the party girl The Awesome Twins would've liked, either. Angela led us to a pool-side lunch so we could plan our next activities. Aside from the two shows we had tickets to attend, Cirque du Solei _'O'_ and The Thunder from Down Under, Angela wanted to enjoy shopping, a little gambling, some thrill rides, and dancing.

"I definitely want to check out some of these restaurants, too," Angela said, pointing at a Vegas guide she'd placed on the table. "But you guys can't let me overdo it, or I won't fit into my dress Saturday!"

"Just drink until you throw up," Marci suggested. "It'll all even out."

"Awesome." Tess laughed.

"Well, as my gift to you," Jake said, "I'm going to book you some time at the spa before we leave Friday morning. That way, you can get a massage and be nice and relaxed by the time we get back to the Lou for the rehearsal dinner."

"I love it! Thank you!" Angela kissed him on the cheek.

"Make sure you get a detox package," Tess told her. "Because _our_ gift to you," she began, pointing between Marci and herself, "is to upgrade those Thunder from Down Under tickets to a whole 'Ladies Night Outback' package! They said it's perfect for an ultimate bachelorette party!"

"I'm predicting hangovers Friday morning," I muttered.

"That's why _I'll_ pay for our breakfast call to room service before we leave," Barb offered. "Lots of hangover food!"

With a party plan in mind and everyone's bachelorette gifts in place, we set out to enjoy Vegas.

I had to admit that being away for this trip was fun. Having an even number in our group seemed to make things easier. The Awesome Twins seemed attached at the hip, and Angela spent a lot of time with Barb, helping her feel less out of place. Jake? He was my constant companion. Still, as I stood watching the fountain at the Bellagio, I couldn't help but wish Edward was with me. What would we do together on a trip like this one? I squeezed my hand into a fist, trying to recall the feel of his fingers wrapped around mine.

When we got off the Insanity ride at the Stratosphere, I imagined Edward pushing my wind-tangled hair away from my face, laughing and bright-eyed after the rush, kissing me breathless.

Even while we shopped, I wondered what sort of store windows might catch Edward's attention. Would he buy souvenirs for Jackie the way that Barb was doing for her children?

More than once, I found my eyes captured by signs advertising wedding chapels. Would Edward be the type to ever get caught up in the moment, drunk on champagne and the high of winning at a gaming table, to even consider such a spur-of-the-moment, romantic gesture? Stupid, maybe, but… Would he?

And why did I wake up the following morning fresh out of a dream where Edward and I had been standing under a fake flower-covered arch, kissing each other while an Elvis impersonator announced us as husband and wife? And why did I feel strangely sad when I realized it was only an image my mind had created while I'd been sleeping?

Clearly, I missed Edward. I was going out of my mind. All of the recent plans for Angela's wedding were hitting me at a subconscious level. I shouldn't even be entertaining ideas like that yet.

"What are you doing?" Jake asked, catching me looking at my phone.

"Just checking to see if Edward tried calling last night," I muttered.

"He said he wouldn't." Jake shook his head. He took my phone from my fingers and pressed the off button before dropping it back into my suitcase. "I know you got it bad, Bella, but you promised to really be present for this trip."

"I know. I am! I have been!"

"Like at dinner last night? You left the table three times."

"I—"

"I know you were excusing yourself to check your phone."

"I didn't text Edward!" I argued. "I was just checking the score of the game."

"Not today." Jake smiled. "He wants you to have fun, Bella, so let's have fun."

If Jake had noticed my attention had been elsewhere, I could only imagine Angela had noticed, as well. I felt horrible.

"Ang?" I asked, finding my friend finishing up her morning routine.

"Yeah?"

"What do you think about sneaking out for a while this morning? Just the two of us?" I grinned. "I saw a shop down the road that had lingerie in the window. Maybe we could pick out a garter for you to wear under your dress as your something new."

"Thank you, Bella." Angela smiled. "I'd really like that."

Angela and I stopped for mimosas and then enjoyed a morning shopping trip. My best friend seemed so relaxed and genuinely happy; I vowed to keep that smile on her face for the rest of the day. Tomorrow? We'd be rushing back to St. Louis and getting ready for her wedding rehearsal. The day after? She'd become Mrs. Ben Cheney. Today? We were just going to be Bella and Angela, and damn it, we were going to make it count.

Oh, boy, did we make it count.

I woke to blackness, with a horrible pounding in my head. Panicked at first, I was almost convinced I'd gone blind, but as I lay there and took inventory of the sensations around me, I soon realized my vision was only cut off because my mascara had virtually glued my lashes together.

Wincing, I tenderly opened my swollen lids and blinked a few times to clear my foggy vision.

"Oh, shit. Jake? Get off of me. I have to pee," I groaned. My best friend was sleeping beside me in the large bed, his heavy thigh thrown over my midsection. Angela softly moaned from the other side of him.

"What time is it?"

"Almost 9:00," I whispered, trying to push Jake away from me. "You have to get ready for your spa trip."

"Oh, God. I feel like I'm dying," Angela replied pathetically.

"Dying, but not dead, yet," Jake finally mumbled. "How did I end up in bed with two chicks? My father would be so happy."

"Seriously, Jake. Move!"

He finally rolled over, and I was able to sit up. As soon as I did, my head spun. I lowered my face to my hands and groaned. How much did we all have to drink?

I guess it started with the mimosas for breakfast. We followed that with a couple of hotel-specialty drinks at lunch. Dinner came with cocktails, and then there was champagne in the limo on the way to the show. Oh, God… The show. It was amazing how many people wanted to send free drinks to our table once they knew we were there for a bachelorette party. After the male dance review, the Ladies Night Outback package took us out to the limo to visit not one but two different nightclubs before depositing us back at our hotel in the wee hours of the morning. I could only vaguely remember us stumbling back through the hotel lobby. Everything was a blur.

"Barb better come through with that breakfast." Jake stretched. "I still feel drunk, and I need some greasy food in my stomach STAT."

"I think I'm gonna throw up," Angela wailed.

"You'll feel better after eating and showering," I promised.

Gingerly, I got up from the bed and made my way into our bathroom. A look at the mirror confirmed my earlier assessment about my eye makeup. I looked like a raccoon, with black mascara smeared around my glassy, red eyes.

"Bells? Let me in." Angela knocked on the door. I dried my hands and then opened the door.

"It's all yours," I told her. "I'm gonna check in with the others and see if we can get room service brought up before you have to leave."

"I know I'm probably going to puke," Angela began, a weak-looking smile on her face, "but I want you to know that it's totally worth it. Best bachelorette party ever, Bella!"

"I'm glad you had fun." I snorted.

"Some of us had more fun than others," Jake told me, catching the last part of our conversation. "Come check this out."

I followed Jake into the main room, stopping just inside the doorway when I saw a man's naked ass. Marci had apparently brought someone back with her from the club. She was sleeping in the center of the floor with a bed sheet wrapped around her body. Her companion had his shirt off, and his pants were pulled down around his knees while he snored face-down on the floor. I walked into the room to lift a lamp off the sofa and place it back on the end table next to the phone that had been knocked off the hook.

"Hey. You there. Screw boy," Jake said, walking close enough to nudge the sleeping man's hip with his foot. "Up and at 'em. There's only enough room for one rooster in this hen house. You gotta go, man."

"Hmmm?"

I walked to the adjoining room to be sure we didn't have any other unwanted visitors. Tess and Barb were both doing their best zombie impersonations as they woke up, as well.

"Breakfast in fifteen?" I suggested. Barb gave me a thumbs up with one hand while holding her head with the other. It made me smile. She'd have some fun stories to take home to her family. I remembered her really cutting loose the night before, dancing at the club like she probably hadn't done in years. Barb had some moves!

"Is he gone?" I asked Jake when I returned.

"Yep. I swear I don't remember him being with us when we left the club!"

"I don't even remember how we got back to our room." I shook my head.

"Please tell me no one took any embarrassing pictures last night," Angela implored.

"Don't worry. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," Jake teased, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"I couldn't have taken pictures even if I wanted to," I noted, picking my phone out of my bag and finding it dead. "Jake must not have shut it off yesterday. I need to charge this thing."

"Sorry." Jake shrugged. "I thought I did."

"No biggie." I smiled over my shoulder. "Can we order food now? I'm starving!"

Barb made good on her promise. We had a huge cart of breakfast items delivered to our room: scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, an assortment of breads, fruit, and lots and lots of ice-cold water. By the time Angela left for her spa trip, the rest of us were ready to stretch out by the pool to let some good ol' vitamin D help chase away the remaining effects of our late-night activities.

A couple of hours later, we were back on the plane, returning to St. Louis. It would be a rush, getting back to Angela's house to get ready for the rehearsal at the church, but staying busy was always my best defense in helping time pass quickly while Edward was away. It was during the down time when I dwelled on how much I missed him. Like when I was on the plane? I closed my eyes and imagined how he must look at that very moment, stepping out of the shadows of the tunnel onto the field and the overhead sun revealing him to the screaming crowd in the stadium as he got ready to play ball. Instead of the vision bringing me peace, however, I was surprisingly filled with a strange sense of dread.

I knew what my problem was. In the past, when Edward was away, we still stayed in touch with phone calls, texts, or video chats. It made him feel closer to me. This time, with no contact at all between us, I felt as though some invisible tether had been severed. It was almost easy to imagine that Edward had always been no more than a figment of my imagination, like he'd never really existed. I didn't like that feeling at all.

A shiver raced down my spine, and Jake must've noticed me tremble. He reached over and put his arm around me, bringing my head against his shoulder. I sighed into the warmth and comfort my friend offered, hoping I could sleep through the flight.

 **~*~*Reviews are so much better than hang-overs. Leave one!*~*~**


	28. Chapter 28

CHAPTER 28

On Friday night, I really wished I could've stayed in my own bed at my own apartment. After the rehearsal dinner, Angela wanted her wedding party to sleep over at her new house. Tess and Marci shared the guest room, Barb slept on the sofa, and I shared a bed with Angela, which was not ideal in any way. Because I'd taken such a long nap during the flight home, I couldn't sleep. I didn't want to keep Angela awake the night before such a big day, though, so I lay there, staring at the ceiling and trying not to move. It was torture.

"I'm the one who's supposed to be tossing and turning," Angela mumbled in the dark.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I was trying to be still."

"Please get some sleep," Angela implored. "I'm going to need you tomorrow. I'm scared as hell, Bella."

"What do you have to be scared about?" I asked, turning on my side to face my friend. "You and Ben are perfect for each other in every single way. You're already married, if you think about it. You're just going through with the formalities."

"I'm not worried about marrying Ben." Angela sighed. "I'm more nervous about tripping over my dress or looking stupid in my pictures or completely losing my voice at the front of the church. What if the flowers aren't delivered on time? What if—"

"What if I try to sleep in Ben's chair in the living room?" I suggested. "I'm keeping you up. And you're right; tomorrow's a very big day. Don't worry about all of those things, Angela. I won't let anything bad happen. I promise. I'll be here for you every single step of the way. It'll all be amazing. You'll see."

"I love you, Bells," Angela murmured into her pillow, already falling back to sleep. As quietly as I could, I got up and left the room.

I think I finally fell asleep just before dawn. It felt like my eyes had only been closed a moment or two before I was awoken by Jake gently pushing my shoulder.

"Holy shit, Crypt-Keeper. You look horrible." Jake frowned as I sat up and yawned.

"Thanks for pointing it out, Mr. Obvious," I replied with a raspy voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Ben asked me to deliver a love note to Angela." Jake rolled his eyes. "Since he was nice enough to excuse me from the bachelor party so I could join you girls in Vegas, he's totally treating me like his bitch now. I've already hauled breakfast food over to him and the guys at the hotel. Now I guess I'm the delivery boy."

"Oh. Okay." I nodded. "What time is it?"

"Almost 8:00."

"Shit. I need to get up," I groaned. The styling duo Angela hired was supposed to arrive at 9:00 to begin working on our hair and makeup. I had a feeling they were going to have their work cut out with me, if I looked as rough as I felt. I reached for my phone that was hooked up to the charger once again, pushed the button, and grimaced when I saw the screen was still unresponsive.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked.

"I thought my battery had died, but the light makes it seem like it's got power. It just won't come on. I think it's broken."

"And this is a problem because…"

"My life is on that phone, Jake." I rubbed my face. "It's the only way I have contact with Edward."

"Bitch." Jake lightened the word with a playful nudge to my arm. "Edward isn't your _whole_ life. You're here with your best friends, you know."

"I know." I groaned. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just—"

"If Edward wanted to get a hold of you, he could've called the hotel," Jake reminded me. "And you're going to meet him at his house tomorrow."

"No, she won't," Marci interjected, blowing the steam across the top of her coffee as she walked through the room.

"Excuse me?" I blinked up at her.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but you're out here in the middle of the living room."

"What did you mean?" I asked, sitting up straighter.

"You mentioned some guy named Edward, right?" she asked. "He called the hotel room."

"What?!" My voice rose. "When? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I forgot." Marci shrugged and took a sip of her coffee. "It really didn't even cross my mind until I just heard you two talking. He called Friday night. In fact, he might've called a few times. I only talked to him once, though."

My mouth hung open, and I turned my head to stare at Jake with wide eyes. He must've sensed I was getting ready to jump up and pounce on her, so he put his hand on my leg to keep me calm and addressed the oblivious girl with a deliberately soothing voice.

"Do you remember what he said?"

"I don't know." Marci shook her head. "I was really wasted, you know? I mean, really wasted."

"Try to remember," I said through clenched teeth.

"That was the night we all went out to see the Thunder from Down Under, and I brought that cute bouncer back from the club with me. What was his name? Scott? Steve?"

"Can you skip to the message part?" I asked, huffing.

"I'm trying!" Marci sat in a chair and lowered her brows. "We were trying to get busy, and the phone started ringing. The guy… Steve! It was Steve! Now I remember! Anyway, Steve answered the phone like three times, but whoever was calling just kept hanging up."

"And then?" Jake encouraged her to continue.

"So, the next time it rang, I answered. The guy was asking for someone named Isabella. I didn't even realize that was you at first." Marci rolled her eyes. "I guess it makes sense. Bella's short for Isabella, huh?"

"What did he say?"

"He wanted to talk to you. I told him you and the writer guy were already in bed."

"Writer guy?" Jake asked.

"You said you write books, right? For a living?"

"I sell books. _Sell_ books. I own a bookstore," Jake corrected her. "Big difference."

"Pretty much the same thing," she argued.

"Not even close." I dropped my face in my hands. "Did he say anything else? Did he leave a message?"

"Sure. Let me think." Marci sipped her coffee again, totally oblivious to the fact I was in freak-out mode. "I might not get this just right. He was talking about a magazine article. He said he was a star? Then he said he turned your phone off and said not to go near his house. See? That's the part that made me remember he called!"

She smiled like she expected me to give her a cookie. I kind of wanted to punch her.

"Marci? Is that all?" Jake asked.

"No! He also said something about a guy named Tom; that Tom would be working on it."

"Who's Tom?" Jake looked at me.

"Edward's lawyer." I groaned.

"God. It's too early for all of this." Marci waved her hand in the air. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Jake?"

"Let's step outside," my friend suggested, pulling me up by the arm and ushering me out the patio doors. Once the glass was closed behind us, I turned to him.

"What the hell?"

"Damn, Bella. I'm sorry." Jake shook his head. "At least you know why your phone isn't working!"

"But I have no idea what's going on!" I wailed, feeling tears fill my eyes.

"What was that about a magazine article?"

"I don't know." I twisted my fingers together. "Wait. Edward's cover story! His issue of _STACK_ was supposed to come out sometime this week. Do you think it has something to do with that?"

"That article was finished, like, a month ago. You told me Edward had to approve it."

"But what if it was changed?" I asked, fearing the worst. "What if when Riley broke up with Victoria, he got mad and changed the whole thing? Oh, my God!"

"What?"

"Riley's a _writer_ , Jake! What if Edward thinks I was with Riley in Vegas? Marci told him I was in bed with a writer!"

"Bella, you need to calm down. That's an awful lot of what-ifs!"

Jake was right. I was assuming my way right into a nervous breakdown… but nothing else made sense.

"I _need_ to see that article," I told him. "Jake, I need to see it."

"Okay, but follow my lead. Angela doesn't need to know that any of this is going on."

"Fine." I sniffed, straightening the hem of my shirt.

"What are you two doing?" Angela asked when we re-entered the living room.

"We're going to drive up to the gas station to get some energy drinks," Jake told her.

"There's a whole pot of coffee in the kitchen…"

"Would you look at this?" Jake waved his hand in front of me. "Coffee isn't going to be enough to fix this mess!"

"Gee, thanks," I mumbled.

"Oh. Okay." Angela frowned. "Hurry back, all right? You're getting your hair and makeup done before mine."

"We'll only be a few minutes," I vowed. I might have been in the middle of a personal crisis, but I refused to let it damper Angela's day. I'd made a promise, damn it.

We drove to three gas stations before we found one that carried _STACK_ _Magazine_. As soon as I got one in my hands, I held my breath and flipped through the pages. The article was… wonderful. Riley had written a terrific piece. The photos? The photos were stunning. I had to wipe a tear from my cheek as I smiled up at Jake.

"So? It's okay?" he asked me.

"Better than okay." I nodded, breathing a deep sigh of relief. "It's a beautiful article."

"That means you can stop worrying, right?" Jake grinned.

"Yes." I nodded. "I don't know what Marci meant when she mentioned a magazine, but there's no way Edward could be upset with this."

"I want a copy." Jake smiled. "Maybe Edward will sign it for me."

"Buy one for Ben and Ang, too." I nodded.

"Big fan of The Lion?" the guy at the cash register asked when Jake placed two more magazines on the counter and indicated he was buying mine as well.

"You could say that." Jake smiled.

"Hey… Aren't you the girl who's dating Edward Cullen?" The cashier asked me then, causing me to look up from the article.

"Hmm?"

"Sure! I recognize you! From _Star_ , right? Damn. That's too bad!"

Instantly, I felt my stomach drop. In slow motion, I spun my head to the side. How had I missed it? I'd been so focused on finding a copy of _STACK_ on the magazine rack that my eyes had completely passed over the row of gossip magazines and papers displayed right next to the register.

And there it was.

The magazine I held fell from my fingertips as I reached forward to grab the latest issue of _Star_.

No. No no no no no…..

The headline blazoned across the front page read "The Lion, a Player On and Off the Field."

Underneath the torrid headline was a picture of me wearing a baseball jersey and little else. It was the selfie I'd taken on Edward's bed. Even more damning? The magazine had put together screenshots of the text messages Edward had sent that night and photoshopped them around my image. Out of context, they were bad. Destructively bad. I saw red.

" _Pic. Now. I'm your boss, and your job might depend on it, Miss Swan."_

" _Very nice. Mmmmm… Wanna text dirty to me?"_

" _That's it. You're fired."_

My hands were shaking so badly I could hardly turn the pages, but when I flipped to the center of the magazine, I knew I was going to be sick. My eyes were swimming with tears, and I couldn't read the words that blurred together. Even still, I could clearly see the picture I'd taken of me and Jackie at the ballpark. Not only did the article make Edward seem like a totally sleazy boss, but they'd also done the unimaginable and included a picture of his son.

"Bathroom…" I muttered, turning to run toward the back of the store.

I made it no further than the sink before I was heaving. I clutched the sides of the porcelain basin, retching and sobbing.

This was it. I had no idea how the gossip paper had gotten those photos and text messages off my phone, but there they were, altered and distorted into something gross and wrong. The most important thing to Edward in the world was Jackie and protecting his privacy. No wonder my phone had been shut off! Of course Edward wouldn't want me anywhere near his house. And it made total sense Edward would have his lawyer involved.

I slumped down to sit on the floor, crying into my hands.

"Bells? Come on, girl. Pull it together." I heard Jake speaking above me.

"He's gone." I shook my head. "He's… gone."

"Up!" Jake ordered. He pushed his hands under my arms and lifted me to my feet. "Wash your face. We're not doing this right now!"

"I… don't understand." I sniffed, trying to calm down. "I swear I didn't give anyone that stuff, Jake!"

"Fuck. I know you didn't," he gruffly replied. "And we'll fix this—I promise—but there's nothing we can do about it right now."

"I have to talk to Edward…"

"You don't even have a way to get a hold of him," Jake reminded me. "He's playing a game in Chicago tonight. He'll be home tomorrow!"

"He said he didn't want me to go to his house!"

"So… _I'll_ go to his house," Jake insisted. "I'll do whatever needs to be done, Bella. I promise. I won't let him cut you off without giving you an opportunity to defend yourself. You'll get a chance to tell him you had nothing to do with it. So he has a lawyer. We'll get you one, too, if you need it. But for now, I need you to pull your shit together and quick. Angela's getting married in a matter of hours, and you need to get your game face on."

"You're right," I told him, nodding. Jake's words snapped me out of my spiral. I didn't have time to break down right now. That would come later. "Just… give me a minute, all right? Get out of here before you get in trouble. I'll meet you at the car."

I felt weak as I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on my face. This might be one of the worst days of my life, but I wouldn't let it ruin what should be one of the happiest ones for my best friend. After a few minutes, I felt like I was in control of myself once more. I sniffed, dried my face, and straightened my shoulders before holding my head up high to walk with as much dignity as I could muster.

"Are we good?" Jake asked after I joined him outside.

"I'll be fine," I muttered. "Let's just get through today."

"We'll figure something out tomorrow," Jake told me, putting his hand on top of mine. "You aren't in this alone. I've got you, kid."

"Thank you," I told him, squeezing his fingers.

I sat in a kitchen chair, listening to Angela's bridesmaids prattle around me while a stylist twisted my hair into a beautiful up-do. Next? Makeup, and then it was time to load everything into our rented car so we could finish getting ready at the church.

After that? Hours of wedding photographs. I mean, hours. Three hours, to be exact. It was a well-orchestrated session to capture pictures of family, the bridal party, and the groomsmen without the bride and groom seeing one another. Photographs featuring Ben and Angela together would be taken after the ceremony.

It was easier than I thought it would be, during the fast-paced moments of the day, to put my worries at the back of my mind. I focused on Angela and her happiness, but when I stood at the front of the church, watching two of my closest friends get married, I knew the tears that tracked down my face had very little to do with the occasion. As I watched Ben and Angela vow their love to one another, I felt my heart break in pieces for the love that had been stolen from me.

"Oomph. We need to fix your makeup," Barb noted after the ceremony. "Before the photographer starts back up!"

"Everyone cries at weddings." Jake quickly offered me cover. "If I'd been wearing mascara, we'd both be having the same troubles!" I gave him a misty smile, thankful he'd provided me backup. Jake was working overtime in the friend department today.

As I stood at the mirror in the bathroom of the church, trying to repair my makeup, I gave myself an inner lecture. Enough. It was enough. Yes, I felt like finding a spot in the woods behind the church to curl up and cry, but more than that? Righteous anger was starting to burn inside me. I knew I hadn't given anyone the pictures and text messages that had been on my phone, so how had they been leaked to the press?

 _Victoria_.

I closed my eyes, cursing softly under my breath. Hadn't Alice told me she'd seen Victoria looking for me in my office the day of the fundraiser? I'd been working on my phone that day. Had I left it there, where Victoria had access to my private pictures and conversations with Edward?

It _had_ to have been her. I knew she was behind this. But how would I be able to explain any of this to Edward, especially if he'd already decided I was at fault? If Victoria was at the helm of this entire situation, she was also the person, no doubt, pretending to defend Edward to the press nightmare she had created. She'd probably been doing interviews and making phone calls all day, promising everyone who would listen, including Edward, she would lead the team to find out who was behind such an atrocious invasion of privacy. Sure, Jake promised he'd go to Edward's house and make sure I got the chance to talk to him, but he didn't know how stubborn Edward could be, how far reaching his influence went. If Edward wanted to disappear from my life completely, he could do it. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.

By the time I stepped back in front of the photographer's lens, I didn't have to worry about forcing a fake smile to look happy. Instead, I needed to focus on not ruining the pictures with an irate bitch face. Jake looked over at me warily, no doubt trying to judge my change in mood. I offered him a bitter, tight-lipped little smile. Oh, yeah. Obviously, I was on the edge of losing it.

Whatever I was doing seemed to be good enough to keep Angela and Ben blissfully unaware of my internal struggles. They smiled. They laughed. They were glowingly, disgustingly happy. Everything was as it should be.

I played my role well at the reception, all the while counting down the minutes until the affair would be over so I could leave. Being alone in my misery was preferable to having to dance with Ben's cousin, Mike. The man was annoying beyond belief. He tried to impress me, flirting with me at every opportunity. Instead of feeling flattered, I felt depressed to imagine this is what I had to look forward to: being single again.

Before I had to endure another spin around the dance floor, I slipped out a side door to stand on a darkened terrace. The cool September breeze chilled my bare arms, and I rubbed my hands up and down the goose-fleshed skin to warm myself.

What in the hell was I going to do? Edward was gone, and even though I'd made efforts to become more independent, all of my efforts hinged on my relationship with him. I no longer had a job. That meant I couldn't keep my new apartment. I'd no longer have a company car to drive and I had already sold my truck! I didn't even have a phone!

Sure, I'd saved some money this summer. I'd get by for a while, but I'd probably have to move in with Jake. Those comforts I'd been enjoying could be replaced.

But Edward couldn't.

How in the world would I ever be able to get over him?

"Bella?"

I shivered when the wind carried the memory of his voice to my ear. Was this how it would be? I'd hear him in silence? Feel him while alone?

"Edward," I whispered, dropping my head as I leaned over the railing, letting tears fall freely once more.

But then I was spinning. Almost losing my footing, I stumbled and clutched the lapels of the jacket in front of me. Immediately, I was pulled against a strong chest, surrounded and held tightly by arms I knew. Inhaling shakily, I smelled his familiar scent. My knees almost gave out beneath me.

"Edward?" Had my breakdown become so complete? I crumbled. If not for his arms holding me, I would've fallen. With my face pressed to the front of Edward's shirt, I sobbed brokenly. Edward held me closely, rocking me from side to side. "I… I… I can't believe you're here!" I hiccoughed. "You're supposed to be playing a game in Chicago!"

"Yeah. I'll be fined for missing it," Edward told me, lifting his hands to cradle my face. "I'm so sorry I couldn't get to you sooner!"

"I…" I blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of the fact Edward was standing in front of me, holding me. "I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again."

"Why in the hell would you think that?" The irate tone of his voice caused me to look up at him. Edward's brows had lowered, and he looked genuinely confused. His expression made me straighten my shoulders and step back.

"Maybe because you turned off my phone and left a message for me not to go near your house?" Self-righteous anger leant a biting tone to my own voice. I'd been going through hell all day long.

"I turned off your phone after I'd tried reaching you on it for hours. You never picked up!"

"I didn't take it out with me," I explained.

"I held out as long as I could," he said then. "But I needed to shut the account down and turn it over to the authorities."

"Yeah." I nodded. "I can understand why."

"That's why I tried to call you at the hotel room, but you'd already gone to bed."

"I was with Jake!" I blurted then. "I know what Angela's cousin told you, that I was in bed with some writer, but I swear I wasn't with anyone else, Edward!"

"Good Lord." He shook his head. "I know you were with Jake. I never thought otherwise."

"But… But…" I bit my lip. "I thought…"

"You thought I'd assume the worst?" Edward tilted his head to the side. "You told me once you weren't a cheater and that you wouldn't allow me to accuse you of doing something like that. A 'deal-breaker,' I think you told me. I wouldn't even entertain the thought, Bella. It never even crossed my mind to consider you were with someone else. I swear."

"Oh, my God," I groaned, covering my face with my hands. I'd been so convinced Edward would assume the worst of me that I'd actually been the one making assumptions about _him_! "Edward? I'm so sorry!"

"I told the girl who answered the phone I was aware of the article coming out in _Star Magazine_. I didn't want you to come to my house on Sunday because I knew the entrance gates would be surrounded by paparazzi. I hoped to help you avoid that nightmare. I didn't want you to worry, because I already had Tom working on all of it. I can't tell you how sorry I am that you have to be humiliated by all of this. Your pictures—private pictures we shared—were put out for the world to see all because of your association to me. I'm so, so sorry!"

"Victoria!" I gasped then. "I know she's the one behind this, Edward! She was in my office. She had access to my phone!"

"No." He shook his head, immediately denying my accusation.

"Come on!" I huffed. "Are you seriously still trying to see the best in her? You have to believe me, Edward!"

"Wait a minute." He took my hands between his own. "I'm not saying she didn't do this. I _know_ she did."

"You do?"

"That's what I've been busy with. We reviewed security tapes from the house, Bella. Victoria didn't touch your phone. I'm pretty sure she got all of that from mine."

"Wait. What?"

"She had easier access to my phone." Edward shrugged. "She could've gotten to it at the clubhouse anytime I was playing. And I used pretty much the same password for all of my accounts, which was very stupid of me. The texts? The pictures? They all came from my phone, Bella, not yours."

"Jackie was in that horrible magazine." I groaned then. "If I hadn't taken that picture—"

"Are you kidding? The pictures you took for me that day? All of them… I loved those, Bella. I'm disgusted some trashy tabloid decided to use that to try to write me up as some sort of shitty father, but nothing in that article is true. Tom's already moving toward litigation."

"I'm really glad I didn't send you any nudes now." I sniffled, half-laughing through tears.

"Can you forgive me?" Edward asked, rubbing his thumbs under my eyes to wipe away moisture there. "That picture you sent me… on the cover of that magazine… no one should have ever seen it but me. Your privacy's been violated, and that's my fault."

"I'm the one who should be asking your forgiveness." I shook my head, clutching his forearms. "I thought you'd already judged me and found me guilty. I believed you'd cut me out of your life, Edward."

"I would never," he argued. "God, Bella. You're everything to me. _Everything_. I had no idea where to find you, other than to crash the wedding, and I got here as soon as I could."

He kissed me then; slowly, deeply, reassuringly, and completely.

"What about Victoria?" I asked when we finally came up for air.

"She's being dealt with," Edward promised. "She was asked to submit her immediate resignation to the Cardinals organization. Even her uncle couldn't save her from what she'd done. And I _will_ seek retribution, Bella. She won't get away with messing with my family."

"I was sick when I saw they'd involved Jackie…"

"Not just Jackie, Bella." Edward smiled. "You're my family, too."

"I am?"

"Well, I hope to God you _will_ be." He chuckled then. "You wouldn't have put yourself through all of this hell if you didn't doubt my commitment to you, so let me fix that. I know you want time for yourself right now, and I can be patient, but you have to know I want it all, Bella. I want to marry you and have babies with you and grow old with you. And I'll wait until you're ready. I'll wait as long as you want, just as long as you tell me we can have that future together."

"Edward!"

This time it was my turn to throw my arms around his neck and press my mouth to his. Edward kissed me with the enthusiasm of the promises he'd just made. This man didn't do anything halfway. He put his whole self into anything he wanted, and I was wholly his.

"Are you saying yes?" Edward asked, twisting our fingers together and bringing my hand to his lips so he could brush a kiss across my knuckles. "Because I'm ready to put a diamond on this finger, Miss Swan."

"Let's work on getting you a ring first." I giggled. "A World Series championship ring, and then we can talk about the rest."

 **~*~*See there? Reviews are SO much better than assuming the worst! lol *~*~**


	29. Chapter 29

Epilogue

Going to the ballpark was always an exciting event when the entire family was in town. Esme, Doc, Rose and Emmett, Alice and Jasper, all of the children…

Today was a very important day, and we needed to hurry or we'd be late.

"Where's your father?" I asked Jackie.

"Upstairs, looking for his socks." Jackie rolled his eyes, though a small smile played at his lips, which let me know he was more amused than irritated. I reached over to brush a lock of ginger hair from his forehead before hurrying upstairs to find my husband.

"Edward?"

"I can't find my damned socks," he mumbled, digging through a dresser drawer.

"That's because they were in the wash." I grinned, holding the items he searched for. "Can I help you with anything else?"

"I can think of a couple ways you could help take my mind off of things…"

"There's no time for that." I giggled, dancing away from his outreached hands. "And you have a houseful of people waiting to go to the ballpark."

"I know, I know." He shook his head. "Can I get at least one kiss, Mrs. Cullen?"

"Have I ever been able to deny you?"

I wrapped my arms over Edward's shoulders and kissed him soundly before stepping away. "Now, you've got five minutes, or we're leaving without you."

"Yeah, right," Edward muttered. For all of his success on the field, Edward still had difficulty being the center of attention. Opening day ceremonies, World Series parades… Edward never felt comfortable receiving the accolades. I knew he'd feel better once we got to the stadium and had the dirt of the track under his feet. That was where he thrived.

At the stadium, we were ushered down underground hallways and arranged to sit in a shiny red convertible that would slowly drive at the head of a long procession. The air around us was filled with energy, excited cheers, applause, and music.

As soon as we were clear of the shadows of the tunnel, the noise above us became deafening. 46,000 screaming fans stood and cheered for Edward as he appeared on his beloved field. Edward's fingers squeezed mine tightly, and I soothingly rubbed his arm. I wanted him to enjoy this moment. He deserved it.

When we reached home plate, it was time for us to exit the vehicle.

"Don't let me fall," Edward whispered.

"Never."

Jackie held Edward's hand to the left, and I held his hand to the right. Ann, our daughter, held the fingers of my opposite hand tightly, connecting our family in a supportive chain as Edward took slow steps toward the group that waited for us. It was the first time he'd walked on the field since undergoing knee-replacement surgery just over a month earlier. He hadn't wanted to use a cane for this event and had worked relentlessly with his physical therapist. He was never afraid of hard work.

Edward "The Lion" Cullen played for the St. Louis Cardinals for a total of twelve years. He'd hoped to make it to his jersey number, thirteen, before retirement, but a torn meniscus during his eleventh season had him sitting on the disabled list. He came back, only to reinjure his knee midway through the following season. He decided then it was time to retire.

With too many awards credited on his stat list to count, Edward considered his children to be his greatest accomplishments. Jackie, who was currently in school with a sports-broadcasting degree within reach, walked proudly and shoulder to shoulder with his father. Ann, named after Ann Harnett, one of the first women signed to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, waved at the crowd like a pageant princess. She was as girly-girl as a girl could get, and while she'd literally taken her first steps on this baseball field, she had virtually no interest in the sport whatsoever. Her daddy was actually happy with that. He said that made it less likely she'd ever fall in love with a baseball player. But hey, she was only eight years old. Give the girl some time.

We proudly watched Edward accept his red jacket that day, as he was inducted into the Cardinal's Hall of Fame. I had to wipe away proud tears while Edward was publicly thanked for his brilliant contributions to the team and recognized for the outstanding work The Level Playing Field still continued to do in the St. Louis area.

After being allowed time for full recovery, Edward planned to stay on with the Cardinals organization, acting as a batting coach. Management certainly wasn't too lofty a goal to consider in the future, and I planned to continue my work with our foundation. Well, for a while, anyway. I'd have to consider maternity leave again. Soon.

Yes, there was going to be an unexpected, though not unwelcome, addition to Team Cullen arriving in about seven months. Edward didn't know yet. I thought I'd tell him today during the seventh-inning stretch.

THE END

 **~*~*Reviews are better than long author's notes... but NOTHING is better than the awesome team of friends who helped me get this little story out there.**

 **Bee? You remain my artistic goddess. I love you long time.**

 **CejsmomWatson? You kept the faith. There would never have been a baseball story without you. I'm sorry to keep you waiting so long.**

 **Iris? I can't even tell you in words, how amazing I think you are. Not only did you take me on as a beta-deluxe, but you contribute to the fandom in a million and one ways, every day. Thank you for sharing your talents with all of us, and for taking such good care of my "return to the field." What shall we work on next?**

 **And Pamela Lorraine-**

 **My cheerleader, pre-reader, secret-keeper, and ass-beater... you kept me sane, in line, and on course. Can't wait to hug you for realsies. And...**

 **I PROMISE YOU MVP OUTTAKES! (There. Now it's in writing, so I can't get out of it!)*~*~**


	30. Chapter 30

MVP Extra Innings 1

*EPOV

I sat beside Bella on the plane and looked down at my fingers wrapped around hers while she smiled and looked out the window. I never knew what was going on in that woman's mind, but I imagined she was marveling at the gorgeous expanse of land and sea we were flying over. I, however, marveled at the fact I was allowed to hold Bella's hand.

Passing my thumb against her soft skin, I couldn't keep the goofy smile off my own face, thinking about all of the other soft places she allowed me to know. Just this very morning, she'd scolded me as I untied her bikini top and pulled it away from her body while she lay on her stomach on the beach chair, but she grinned at me over her shoulder and let me do it anyway.

It helped that we were totally alone on our own private stretch of beach.

Bella had finally agreed to let me take her away on vacation, and while she teased me about going overboard, she didn't argue that I deserved to spoil myself just a little after such a long, hard season. Turtle Island in Fiji was our week-long escape from a rushed, hurried schedule and unrelenting press coverage.

First, it was press covering every single angle of that bullshit Victoria had pulled with _Star Magazine_.

Oh, yeah. Jerry was all over that. Victoria was immediately terminated from her position working with the Cardinals organization. We called a press conference to announce that someone from the inside had stolen pictures and private information from my phone to misrepresent me to _Star Magazine_. I was politely asked not to mention Victoria by name during the press announcement. I honored that request after the owners and I came to the agreement that the St. Louis Cardinals organization would donate a very, very large sum of money to Level Playing Field. It was enough to ensure LPF would be comfortable in its endeavors for at least its first several years, which is more than most beginning charities can hope for. It was better than dragging the franchise's name through the mud in court.

Oddly enough, those efforts did not protect Victoria's reputation. You see, it seemed that someone else close to me happened to be friends with a certain sports writer for _STACK Magazine_ and spilled all of the dirty details for an expose Riley Biers was writing on the mismanagement of professional athletes. He called out greedy agents and dirty accountants. He also specifically named Victoria in an example of exploitation of privacy with media handling. The article made the front page and received national attention, which effectively blacklisted the bitch and made Victoria unhireable in the professional sports market. Funny how things like that work out, eh? I could imagine Victoria would eventually end up a bitter forty-year-old, bouncing on the cock of some farm-league wanna-be ball player just to relive her glory days. Good fucking riddance. It was better than she deserved.

Of course, all of this was happening as the team headed toward post-season play. And yes, by God, I didn't let any of it affect my efforts on the field. My teammates pulled together and played through the drama surrounding the organization, eventually claiming the World Series title. That was definitely press-worthy.

And the press continued as we began the process of suing _Star Magazine_. They run ridiculous shit in their rag paper all the time, but they crossed the line publishing a private photo of my son. I wanted to find the editor who'd given the okay to run the piece and beat the shit out of him. Litigation seemed more civilized. Bella was involved with her own part of that lawsuit. Every single time I thought about her being exposed the way she'd been, her beautiful body on the front of that piece-of-shit gossip magazine, it made my blood boil. No one would ever be allowed to see her like that again. She didn't like it when I acted possessive, but the girl is mine. Mine. All mine.

I might've squeezed her fingers a little too tightly thinking about it. Bella turned to look at me.

"What's up?"

"Huh?" I blinked out of my thoughts and loosened my hold, smiling over at her. "Sorry."

"You looked so serious just now. What were you thinking about?"

"My head's all over the place." I shrugged. "I wish we could've stayed in Fiji another week."

"But then we'd miss Thanksgiving dinner," she reminded me. "You know you promised Jackie."

"We should've taken our vacation _after_ Thanksgiving." I chuckled. "A few days with my family will make us need rest and relaxation all over again."

"They're not that bad, Edward!"

"You say that now." I lifted her hand to my face to kiss her knuckles. "Anyway, you were off in your own little world over there. What were you thinking about?"

I was rewarded when that tell-tale blush of hers turned her cheeks rosy.

"I… was thinking about last night," she whispered, leaning into my side.

Last night.

I wouldn't soon forget it myself.

 _I was lying on a chair, enjoying the sunset over the azure waters of the Blue Lagoon, when Bella came out to join me. She was still wearing the white robe she'd donned after our earlier massage, and she held two glasses of champagne in her hands._

" _Want to toast to our final night in paradise?" she'd asked, straddling my lap as I sat up._

" _Every evening with you is paradise," I'd foolishly offered. It was corny, and I felt dumb as hell for saying it, but Bella giggled and made me feel better. We both made a silent salute and sipped from our glasses. It was going to be hard to leave this place._

" _I'm glad you didn't cut this too short," Bella murmured, pulling her fingers through the top of my hair. "I like it a little long."_

" _It'll be shorter before I start playing in the spring," I warned her. Of course, I was also reminding her that our crazy schedules would be starting back up in a few short months. I think I was still worried it would be too much for her. She just smiled and leaned down to kiss me._

" _So… shave it all off. I'll have fun watching it grow out again, Lion," she whispered against my lips. That reaffirmation flooded me with relief, and I kissed her again. Hard._

 _It was obvious then we both had the same thing on our minds. I loosened the belt of her robe enough so the material slid down her shoulders before slowly pulling the chilled champagne flute down the strip of exposed skin between her breasts. Bella shivered and gave a breathy little sigh that immediately made me hard beneath her. I loved the way she reacted to me, and she definitely noticed the way I was reacting to her. I could tell by the way she shifted on my lap and rocked against my body._

 _Soon, our glasses were tossed to the sand, and I was attacking her chest with my mouth and hands. We made short work of my trunks, getting them pulled away so she could sink down on my cock, and then, just as I told her, I was in paradise._

 _God. I'd been with plenty of women—I know that—but none of them like this. Not with this weird, soul sort of connection. Every part of me loved this woman. The sight of her rolling her hips over me and the ocean wind pulling her hair like some mythological siren come from the sea, with the pink and blue sunset sky behind her, was like something out of a fantasy and an image that would be burned on my brain forever. I gripped her hips hard, probably hard enough to leave bruises, fighting the baser instinct to flip her over beneath me and fuck her hard. I could tell she needed something different, though. I was happy to let Bella take the lead, making love to me on that chair in our private cove. And it was perfect. Absolutely fucking perfect._

I would need that image with me. Obviously, for the next few days, we would have zero alone time.

Alice and Jasper arrived at Emmett and Rose's house about an hour after we did.

"Look how tan you are!" Alice laughed and hugged Bella.

"Too little too late," Bella replied. "I needed this tan before Angela's wedding. Maybe then I wouldn't have looked so disgusting in that color she chose."

"You looked beautiful that night," I corrected her.

"You want to talk about looking disgusting?" Alice did a little turn.

"Shut up! You're gorgeous!"

It was weird seeing my little sister all big and round and getting ready to pop out a baby, but I had to give Jasper a little credit. He spoiled her absolutely fucking rotten. She would sit in a recliner with her feet up, and he'd dote on her every whim.

"Babe, can you bring me some water?"

"Babe, can you get a pillow for my back?"

"Babe, can you bring me some of those crackers?"

Three hours after we arrived at Emmett and Rose's place, I was already hiding out in my brother's garage with the rest of the men, drinking beer and trying to find some peace and quiet. My nerves were shot.

"Babe?" I said, mocking my sister's voice. "Can you get me another one of those beers?"

Jasper threw a mock-punch at me and pulled a cold bottle out of the cooler before handing it over.

"Get used to it." Emmett tossed an empty bottle in the trash and threw his arm over Jasper's shoulder. "This is all practice, man. Once that kid gets here, you'll be running your ass off to help out. It's all part of being a dad." He was the voice of experience. While Rose didn't have the twins he'd been predicting, the new baby certainly was making her presence known in the McCarty household. And just like her mother, she already had Emmett tied around her tiny little finger.

"I can't wait." Jasper smiled. "I really can't fucking wait."

I'd always given Jasper a hard time about his relationship with Alice, but I think that goofy shortstop was actually going to be a really great father. He was stoked.

"Boys? You wanna get your asses in here? Lauren and Eric just pulled up, and the game's about to start!" my mother yelled from the back porch.

I quickly put my beer to the side and took off in a jog around the side of the house. Any time I spent away from Jackie was too long. Thank God he'd been kept oblivious to the shit that had gone down with the magazine. Lauren had gone into hyper-protective mode and contacted his teachers and the school administration in case any press roll-off showed up in the area. Thankfully, no one had. Other than the _Star_ article calling me out as a fuck-off for a father who had to pay employees to take care of my son, nothing had been written about Jackie. I was grateful for that.

"Dad!"

He dropped his backpack on the ground when he saw me, and we ran toward each other across the lawn until I was able to swing him up in my arms.

"There's my boy!" I smiled into the side of his neck. Since he was a baby, it was my favorite place to bury my face and breathe him in. God… He was already bigger than I remembered, but he smelled the same. Soon. Soon we'd be able to spend even more time together. I needed it, and from the way his thin arms squeezed around my shoulders, I could tell he did, too.

"Did you bring the stuff I asked for?" I asked him, putting him back on his feet so I could pick up his bag.

"Mom helped." Jackie nodded.

"Lauren?" I looked over at my ex-wife. I hadn't seen her in a while. She looked good.

"We got everything." She nodded. "Can I get a hug?"

I put my arms around her and kissed her lightly on the cheek, squeezing her briefly before I stepped away to shake Eric's out-stretched hand.

"How's it going man?"

"It goes well." Eric smiled. "Where's this new girlfriend of yours Jackie keeps telling us about?"

"I'm, uh, right here?" I turned to see Bella walking down the front steps. She had a kitchen apron tied around her and was wiping her hands on a dish towel.

"Hi, Bella." Jackie smiled and looked down at the grass.

"Hey, buddy." Bella knelt down. "I'm so happy to see you."

"It's really nice to finally meet you!" Lauren told her, wrapping her in a big, friendly hug as soon as Bella was upright.

"Nice to meet you, too." Bella laughed and looked at me over Lauren's shoulder with a surprised expression.

"I should've warned you she's a hugger." I shrugged.

"Be quiet!" she scolded, waving her hand toward me. "It looks like you women are already busy in the kitchen. Can I help?"

"We're peeling potatoes." Bella nodded, both women turning to walk into the house ahead of us.

"If I know Esme, she's making enough food for an army," Lauren continued.

"Well, it's a big group," Bella agreed.

Big group. _Huge_ group. But there's no better kind of group to enjoy a holiday with.

Doc and Esme. Emmett, Rose, Sophie, Grant, and baby Ellery. Alice and Jasper. Eric and Lauren. Jackie, Bella, and me. The house was packed, warm, and full of love.

After a very large dinner, we all crowded into the family room downstairs to watch football.

"Where are you going?" I asked Jackie, who picked up his backpack and started to go upstairs.

"It's too crowded," Jackie frowned.

"Too much noise?" Bella asked from where she was sitting across my lap. "Do you still have your headphones? Maybe you could listen to some music."

"They're broken." Jackie looked down and toed the carpet.

"Oh, no!" Bella looked sincerely and adorably brokenhearted to hear that. I smiled, knowing how much she honestly cared.

"We'll get you some new ones, pal," I told my son, wiping my palms on the arms of the chair.

"Bella? Can you fix them?" Jackie suggested, making me fight to hide a grin.

"Oh… I don't know." She frowned and bit her bottom lip. "I guess it depends on what's wrong with them." She looked up at me for assistance, and I shrugged. Jackie pulled his headphones out of his backpack, and Bella scrambled off my lap to sit beside him on the floor. I got up, too, and knelt down beside them.

"Did you put new batteries in?" Bella asked, turning the item in her hands.

"It makes noise," Jackie told her. "Listen!" He gave them a good shake, and sure enough, a distinct rattle could be heard inside.

"Maybe a magnet came loose in there," Doc offered from his seat.

"Do they have magnets in those things?" Esme wondered.

"Could be a wire or something," Rose suggested. "Emmett, get a screwdriver!"

"We don't need a tool." Bella shook her head. "I think I can pop it open…"

"Careful. Don't crack the case," I told her, holding my breath as she pried the side of the ear canister off. The plastic released with a loud pop, and the room went silent when the offending item fell out and into Bella's lap. As soon as she realized what had been in the headphones, Bella covered her face with her hands and her shoulders slumped forward. I smiled and picked up the ring I'd asked Lauren to help Jackie hide for me.

"It's a surprise for you!" Jackie yelled out loud, clapping his hands together with glee. "Dad wants you to marry us!" His face scrunched up for a moment, and then his eyes shot over to me, looking worried. "I mean… _him_. Dad wants you to marry _him_. Did I mess up?"

I grabbed his head and pulled him in for a kiss, thrilled he'd pulled our plan off so wonderfully.

"You didn't mess up. You did it just right!"

Everyone in the room started talking at once. Apparently, Lauren had been able to keep my secret. Everyone was surprised and excited. I smiled over at Lauren, mouthing "thank you" as she nodded her approval.

"Oh, my God. Oh, my God," Bella whispered shakily, moving her hands to wipe the tears that were coursing down her face.

"Since I'm already down here on my knees," I said, chuckling and feeling self-conscious, "I suppose I can ask you officially. Isabella Swan? Jackie was right. I do want you to marry us. All of us. I love you. Please be my wife."

"Yes!" I nearly fell backward with the force in which she threw her arms around my neck. My family cheered, and I rocked back, holding Bella in my arms, laughing happily.

"Can I put this ring on you now?"

She put her hand forward, and I slid the diamond onto her finger.

"What were you thinking?" Bella immediately scolded me, still crying. "You really could have ruined Jackie's headphones by putting this thing in there!"

"It's not even the same pair." I chuckled, loving that she was still concerned about my son's favorite, cherished gift. "We bought another set to be sure. These ones are for you."

"Now I have my own magic headphones." Bella laughed. Jackie moved to sit on her lap, and I put my arms around them both.

The headphones she bought Jackie were what had convinced me she was absolutely perfect for me and my son. The headphones I bought for her? They helped me finally get a ring on that finger. Yeah, they really were magic.


End file.
